HLHD
by ericwinter
Summary: Death isn't final. That's one thing that was obvious, when they came out of the veil, and were reborn. It's a good thing too, considering that their new world is filled with monsters of Grimm who want to eat them. But hey, at least they've got magic on their side, right? Disclaimer: I own nothing
1. Black Trailer

"Hey kid, aren't you a little too young to be in a place like this?" Harry Potter looked up from his glass with a quirked brow, taking in the man who had addressed him. The speaker, offering him a wry grin, was sporting a tight leather outfit, like a biker might wear, but that wasn't what interested Harry. Even his build, thin and wiry but obviously well-balanced and toned, didn't attract nearly as much attention as the small fox ears poking up out of his sandy hair. A faunus then.

"And aren't you a little too criminal for the same?" Harry replied, amusement coloring his tone. To be honest, the newcomer didn't look too bad, although maybe a bit young himself, but there was a light in his eyes that painted him as far too mischevious, not to mention that he was a fox faunus. They were almost always up to something shifty, even if it was technically not against the law. The man didn't seem too insulted by the comment however, letting out a chuckle as he took the seat next to Harry at the bar.

"Touche." He stated, before ordering a drink. When he didn't say anything else, Harry was ready to pass the guy off as an oddity simply looking out for a kid's well-being, if only just. As his scrutiny started to slide off the man, however, he noticed a slight bulge in the tight black leather pants he was wearing. _Shit._

"Don't." Harry said, all amusement gone from his voice. To his credit, the fox didn't react overtly, simply shooting a questioning look towards the kid. Harry, however, knew better. "You don't have to do this. You've probably got someone at home right? Friends, family. Go home, hug them, and break the mask. I promise, you'll thank me." At the word mask, however, the faunus's attention sharpened, and Harry's eyes carefully tracked his hand from behind the shades he was wearing as it twitched towards that damning bulge.

"Mask? i never said anything about a mask." Harry didn't need to say anything. The entire line was simply meant to slow him down, to force his brain to process the words even as the faunus went for his weapon. Too bad for him, Harry knew exactly what it was for, and was already reaching up and over his shoulders, grasping the pommel of a sword which to most observers would appear to have simply shimmered into existence. With a speed earned from long years of brutal practice, the teen whipped his blade, a massive two-pronged greatsword, out of its sheeth, slamming it down to crush the handgun his apparent enemy had attempted to draw against the bar. With a quick reversal that caused the eyes of several other patrons to widen, Harry slammed the flat of the sword into the fox's temple, rendering him unconscious. The teen didn't stop there however, instinct driving his momentum forward as he spun, meeting another sword, far slimmer and slightly curved, with his own. Its wielder, surprised by the sudden reversal, was forced to grip his pommel tightly with both hands so as not to have his weapon thrown from his grasp. Harry, however, didn't have that problem, despite his blade being far heavier, and was free to lash out with his free hand and punch the bastard right in his familiar white bone mask. Oh, that felt good.

When his opponent reeled back from the blow, Harry didn't hesitate, following with a step forwardand slicing his blade back up, once again delivering a crushing blow to his temple. The foe dropped quickly, but still Harry wasn't free, as a loud shout erupted from somewhere behind him. Smirking slightly under his shades at the utter idiocy of his attacker, Harry flicked the hand holding his weapon,making one of the blades slide around the pommel until it was protruding out the opposite side of the other. As it did so, it pulled a small cord, previously coiled up tight between the ends of the blades like a spring, out, completing the weapon's transformation into a bow. His grin widening, the teen spun, his free hand pulling back the string despite it being empty of arrows.

For a moment, Harry could have sworn he saw the White Fang's eyes narrow in confusion when he was faced with an empty bow, but perhaps it was just his imagination. What wasn't his imagination, however, was the glowing white bolt of energy he formed between his fingers, instantly taking the shape of an arrow as it knocked itself onto his bow. Thus it was with a cocky smirk that his fingers released the previously empty string, firing his ethereal arrow directly into the third opponent, who was flung back by the blast as it exploded on impact.

For a second, Harry stood still, his ears straining for any other sounds. When he heard none, however, he lowered the bow slightly, glancing around at the three downed forms around him. "Three, really? Now I feel almost insulted." The teen smirked, and was just about to revert his weapon when he was stopped by a deep, rumbling voice.

"Four, actually Potter. They were just meant to soften you up." Harry's head snapped to the side, his eyes narrowing behind their shades. He knew that voice.

"Baron? They sent _you?_ That's not even insulting anymore. That's just pathetic. Does Taurus even want me anymore?" The teen smirked as he heard the dog faunus growl, stepping out of the shadows. Baron always did have an overdeveloped sense of drama.

"Shut it Potter. I'm not here to chat. I'm here to drag your sorry carcass back, dead or alive."

"Well, carcass kind of suggests dead, but hey, you never were good with the big words." Harry laughed as he elicited another growl from his opponent, but didn't release the tension in his muscles for a moment as he kept an eye on Baron's every movement. "Either way though, you're delusional if you think I'm going back. I'm not one of you anymore." This time, it was Baron who laughed, causing harry to narrow his eyes.

"That's what you don't understand, Potter. You'll always be one of us. You may hide it, but you can't change what you are. Whatever you do, you can't deny the truth those eyes and ears of yours paint plainly for the whole world to see." For a moment, Harry froze, but it passed before his adversary could take advantage of the momentary weakness. Then he smirked.

"What, you think i hide them to deny my heritage? To deny _them?_ " He jerked his chin at the door that the rest of the bar's patrons had already ducked out of when the fight started. "No, I do it to hide from people like you, to hide from the _white fang._ Or at least, the monstrosity people like you have turned it into." That seemed to be the tipping point. With a final growl, Baron jumped forward, blades coming out of the bands on his wrists as he swiped at Harry. Harry gladly met him in the middle, flicking his weapon back to its original form in order to catch both the wrist blades in a horizontal slant. That had always been Baron's weakness, the teen knew from days long past. He was quick, yes, and packed a bloody heavy punch as Harry could now attest, but his attacks were predictable.

With a grunt, Harry shoved his opponent away, but instead of retreating as many would have, he followed Baron's path backwards, turning the push into a series of short choppy slashes that lacked power, but forced the White Fang member to scramble desperately to avoid the teen's wickedly sharp blade. Harry smirked a little at the memories of just how many times he had beaten that instinctive fear into the dog faunus. He had always been a master at turning his weapon's perceived weaknesses into strengths.

Sadly, the teen wasn't the only one who knew his opponent's style, and it wasn't long before Baron managed to duck into his guard and Harry was forced to twist quickly out of the way so as not to be impaled. Suure, he had his aura active, but there was only so much the power of his soul could do against a direct attack, and Baron kept his own weapons sharp. Harry had the scars to prove it, too. Still, the movement allowed him move back a bit, creating some space between the two. Neither were breathing very hard, as both had experienced far more brutal training spars, but each was looking at the other with a newfound respect. _Damn, I've grown soft if Baron can keep up with me._

Harry had long since surpassed the dog faunus in terms of skill, but he did have to admit to himself that he had been lax recently. Either that, or Taurus must have been pushing his troops to grow. Either way, however, the teen needed to find a way to end this fight, fast. Even now he could hear the sirens in the to pull out his favorite weapon of all time: wit.

"You know Baron, i haven't had this much work since your mother." Just like he had expected, the White Fang agent suddenly froze, and a smirk crossed Harry's face.

"What did you say?" Asked the dog faunus in a tone he probably thought was terrifying. To be honest, Harry just thought it made him sound like a whimpering puppy, which was a rather amusing thought considering the man's considerable girth.

"Wasn't it obvious? I mean, she was a real animal in the sack. Now i know why everyone likes to call you a son of a bitch. It's true enough." Baron, his face apparently frozen in a state somewhere between shock and anger, suddenly threw himself at Harry with a yowl. The boy let him come for a few swipes, smiling as the attacks grew sloppier and sloppier. Baron was getting angry, and it showed. Thus, Harry just had tait until the right moment to strike. When it came, he didn't hesitate, sliding his sword in between the bastard's claws to bash him across the torso. Only Baron's aura kept him from being chopped in half right then and there, but Harry could see it flicker out of existence just before the White Fang member crashed into the far wall.

His work done, Harry glanced around the bar. For having come out of a fight, it was in surprisingly good shape. Sure, neither Harry or Baron had really gone all out, since the teen didn't want to have to pay for damages, and the White Fang probably had orders to lay low, but still. There weren't even any broken tables. Before he could complain about it however, the sounds of sirens suddenly grew sharper, bringing him back to reality. Without a second thought, the teen stalked out of the bar's backdoor, adjusting the heavy hood on his head. No need to get caught up with the authorities after all.

XXX

 **So… this is a thing. I know I shouldn't even be considering this, but here it is. It just kinda wanted to be written, so here's the deal. If i get enough interest in this story, cool. I'll consider updating it every once in a while, when I'm too bored to do anything else or inspiration strikes. If not, oh well. It was a nice one shot, if a bit light on details. Also, for those of you who do want this to continue, assuming for a second that it will, should I do a preview for each of the main team that this story will be centered on? Yes, they will all be characters from Harry Potter, so you technically know them, but still. If not, don't worry. This will just be a prologue and you'll meet them all in the course of the story, since I do already know who they will be.**

 **Anyways, that will be all for now. Don't forget to leave your opinions, and I'll see you later!**


	2. Silver Trailer

The air was thick with acrid smoke, and as she curled up into a ball, the girl wept as it stung her eyes and throat. It hurt, so very much, just to breathe. Why did it hurt? She drew in a shuddering sob, squeezing her eyes tight against the smoke. At least the screams were gone. They had echoed through her, bouncing from present to future, and there was nothing she could do to stop them. Why was this happening?

She tried not to focus on anything beyond simply drawing another breath, living just another second longer as she prayed that the monsters wouldn't hear and find her, before rending her limb from limb, but against her will thoughts continued to trickle through her mind, the images and sounds she had never been able to make sense of flashing past her mind's eye.

XXX

 _THey had come in the night, red eyes that glowed in the darkness the only sign of their passage. She had been dancing in the moonlight, treading well-worn paths into the clearing she had claimed as her own since before she could walk. It always helped her forget the memories, those that had passed, and those that were yet to come._

 _When the first screams pierced the night, she stumbled. She never stumbled. Then, when the first screams rang once again, she didn't just stumble, falling completely, just barely managing to catch herself with her hands. Even as she wondered what was wrong, why anyone would be screaming at a time like this, their voices filled with such depths of pain, fear, and anguish, more came, carried on the same winds that brought the first stench of the smoke she would become intimately familiar with in the next few hours._

 _As she lay there, her arms failing to support her weight any longer out of fear, the girl trembled, her thoughts whirling. Memories invaded her mind, the simple rhythmic motion and course of dancing no longer present to hold them at bay. Oh, she remembered screams, so like those she was hearing now even though the air they rang through had been different, as were their cause. She could see from her position on the forest floor dark shapes winging their way through the night, the broken moon she had been named for once again shining behind them. That moon had always been the only other thing that could soothe her thoughts, proof that those memories of the past might be only that, although still the others persisted. She had always loved the moon, as her namesake. Tonight, however, there was no love to be had, no shelter from her thoughts._

 _It took her a while to move, her limbs trembling in fear both remembered and present. Then she was running through the woods, her long silver hair streaming behind as the wind whipped it free. She could only hope that when she finally made her way back to the village, there would be something left._

XXX

That hope had been dashed the moment she set foot within the place. Everything was burning, and there wasn't a single soul left alive in sight. She could hear them though, survivors fighting desperately for life even as they screamed and shouted at the monsters that had come to destroy them. It was useless, however. Soon enough, even they would be silenced by the creatures of Grimm.

The child looked around, even though she knew that there was nothing left to be salvaged. Even the orphanage, which had taken her in after she was found abandoned in the forest, was utterly destroyed, not even children spared the wrath of nature's darkness. After a glance, she had already looked away, There was nothing for her there.

SHe wandered for hours, trying desperately to hold back the tears, but eventually the smoke grew too much for her, and she crawled under a fallen wall. Only then, buried under debris and out of sight of the few Grimm she had dodged in the ruins, did she release the tears she had been holding.

 _Why?_ She thought, a sob turning her breath ragged. Why was it that wherever she went, death and destruction followed. She was six now, in this life, but before, she had been just as cursed as she was now. Her mother, her friends, even her father, all had fallen around her, through accident, war, or betrayal, it mattered not.

Even more hours later, the girl jerked out of her curl at the sound of shifting rock. Unconsciously, her hand reached out and gripped a piece of loose rubble, the stone not much for an adult but in her tiny hands appeared a formidable weapon. She didn't care that it would do little to whatever monster had managed to sniff her out. Memories of friends, each a paragon of bravery and strength, flashed between her eyes, hardening her resolve. She would fight, and die, facing her enemy head-on. Maybe then she would be allowed to meet them in the afterlife, as had been denied her once before.

The child's fear came to naught. When the wall shifted, it was not a creature of Grimm standing there, eyes burning with the hatred and hunger inherent in their kind. Instead it was a man, though she could make out little more features than grey hair and some sort of large weapon on his back.

"A survivor? Well, I wasn't expecting that." She smiled at the voice. It was attempting sarcasm, but she had always been more attuned to emotion than others, and the relief in his words was plain to her ears. "So, little one, are you coming out of there? All the big baddies are gone." For a moment, she hesitated. Surely, if she went with this man, her curse might just rain doom down upon him as well. Even if that was not the case, he would take her to somewhere else civilized, and then it would only be a matter of time. Perhaps it would be better for her to die out here.

It was the smile that convinced her. Surprisingly soft for one who was obviously a warrior, it almost reminded her of another of her friends, kind and firm. In it, she could see the promise that no matter what, this man would keep her safe. Maybe It wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. Grimm attacked everyone. Who said it was her fault?

The girl wasn't sure, but as she took the offered hand, Luna Lovegood had to think, just once, that things might turn out alright this time.


	3. Brown Trailer

Picking her head up from the book it was resting on, Hermione rubbed her eyes, drooping with exhaustion as she forced herself to awaken. As more and more faculties came under her conscious mind's control, she sat up straight, groaning as her back creaked out of its slumped position. She really needed to stop falling asleep in the middle of reading.

With a sigh, the bushy-haired teenager looked around, unsurprised to find that she was nestled in a small alcove between two large shelves of books. Of course she was at the library. Sure, she could just as easily access books on her Scroll, but there was just something about the old, musty smell of actual books that made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. Not to mention it reminded her of before, when never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined something such as a Scroll.

Forcibly ending her musings, lest she be caught once again in the trap of too much thought and risk falling back to sleep, Hermione stood, wincing as even more of her bones and joints snapped back into their proper positions. She quickly gathered her things, checked to make sure the area was just as clean as it had been when she arrived, and set off, only stopping at the desk to check out a few of the books in her arms. By the time she walked out the front door of the library, most of her aches had faded, and Hermione had a bright smile on her face as she imagined finishing the books at home.

As the girl made her way through Atlas's streets, she smiled and waved at what few people were out and about. Not many people walked the streets this close to dark, after all, since curfew wasn't that far behind. Luckily, she wouldn't be staying there for that much longer. She had received her transfer acceptance to Beacon just a few days ago, and she was more than ready to get out from under the extremely strict regime. The thought brought a smile to her face, especially how she remembered in those long-ago memories that she would have once loved Atlas with all its rules. Too bad she had been corrupted by her best friend, and even… him.

The memory of red hair came and went, almost too fast for Hermione to even be sure it existed in the first place, and her mood soured. She didn't want to think about that. She had a new life now, and even if he was somehow around, she was more than capable of keeping him far, far away from herself.

Pushing the thoughts aside, Hermione started to turn a corner, when a sudden shout caught her attention. Out of welll-trained instinct developed over two lifetimes of conflict, her head snapped in the direction the sound had come from, and she gasped when she saw it.

Down an alley-way, she could see several people in tight leather and bone-white masks which hid their faces looming over a couple of smaller children. What was the White Fang doing with those kids?

"Come on, kid, just tell the truth. Where did he go?" One of the masked men said, his voice taunting as the little boy he was focused on cowered. Hermione didn't even hesitate, turning her path to angle down the alley, shaking her arms as she did so. Out of her cuffs slid two submachine guns, but Hermione didn't keep them in that form. The narrow alleyway was bound to turn into a close quarters fight if this situation went south, which was highly likely, so with a casual flick of her wrists, she spun the weapons, smirking as she heard the distinctive clicks which informed her they had taken their close-range forms of an battle-axe and round shield. Maybe she could work out the last few kinks in her muscles from sleeping over her books.

"Hello, boys. Not causing any trouble, are we?" She spoke up lightly, smirking once again as the three White Fang members jumped at the sound of her voice. Normally, she wasn't one for dramatics, but after living through an entire war with Harry Potter, you picked up a few things.

"Oh look, it's another little human. What, come to drag us too the pound?" The ,asked men chortled at their leader's-admittedly bad-joke, and Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"You do realize you just insulted yourselves, right?" She asked. Apparently that wasn't the right thing to say, because suddenly the leader stepped a bit closer to her, what little of his features that weren't hidden by that ugly mask twisted in rage as he growled at her.

"What do you want, bitch? Think you can take us on alone?" Hermione glanced down to her two weapons, before raising her eyes to once again meet his, then shrugged. Yeah, these guys weren't going to leave without a fight, that much was obvious, and Hermione knew the best way to win a fight quickly, was to ambush them. Thus, it wasn't all the hard a decision to take a few swift steps forward and cut a direct line across the faunus's chest with a clean sweep of her axe.

With a shocked yelp, the leader jumped backwards, narrowly dodging Hermione's axe blade. Then, with another growl, he slid his own weapon out of the sheath on his back, a simple short sword, before diving back at Hermione, followed closely by his two lackeys. For a few seconds, the girl was forced to backtrack, her shield the only thing between the ferocious assault and herself, aside from her aura. Then, once she had regained her footing, she suddenly reversed her momentum, knocking aside the lone weapon diving towards her and bringing the twin headed axe in her other hand around to bash the bastard wielding said weapon back. From their, she took the initiative, diving forward into the fight with a series of choppy strikes.

For a few minutes, the four people fought back and forth, the only sounds in the alley being their grunts as blows landed, since the children had long since used the distraction as a means to escape. Hermione was glad for that, especially since she could feel herself starting to be driven back, slowly but surely. The narrowness of the alleyway was the only thing which had let her hold this far, preventing them from all striking at once, which would've been untenable. They were good, she had to admit, even if she was slightly better. Better didn't help, however when your enemies were resting up every second strike, and you weren't.

The slip came fast and hard, a simple misstep which threw her entire balance off. The shortsword slithered past her shield to thud heavily against her stomach, only her aura keeping the damned blade from spilling her entrails. From there it only went downhill, as suddenly blows were being rained down upon hermione from all sides, and eventually, she was pressed up against a wall with a sword at her throat.

"Now I've got you, don't I you little bitch? I wonder, what should I do with you now?" The Fang's leader said, his breath hot on her cheek as he reached up to slowly trail his hand down her cheek, a lecherous grin spread wide across his face. With a sharp gasp of fear, Hermione closed her eyes, fighting off a sudden surge of memories. Behind the dark lids, brown hair turned to red, and freckles, previously so innocent and cute, appeared in her mind's eye.

Hermione didn't move when the Faunus grasped her throat, nonsense threats ignored as they were whispered into her ear. She was too frozen to feel the hand that slid under her shirt, or care as the other pressed tighter, starting to cut off her air supply in an attempt to prompt some sort of reaction from her. But it didn't respond, too lost was she in the memories of a different touch, a different voice, sometimes soft and loving, but others, more recent, harsh and cruel, bringing stinging tears to her eyes.

Then suddenly the pressure was gone, the roughly dancing fingers jerked off her skin with painful force, and Hermione's eyes shot open. The sight that met her was completely different from that which she had closed her eyes to. The two lackey faunus were thrown against a wall, unconscious, and the leader wasn't in any position to be helping them.

Hermione eyed the newcomer warily, even as he was holding the Faunus that had come within inches of violating her by a steady chokehold. He was large, very large, despite what parts of his face she could see from behind the black sunglasses looking to be around her age. He wore a lot of black, a nice leather trench coat flowing down his form over a black woolen shirt stretched tight across his broad chest, and even tighter leather pants hiding his matching legs. Over his head he wore a heavy black hood, with wild tufts of hair darker than sin falling out like some sort of mane, and his eyes were covered by fancy black predator sunglasses. The man-or boy-was built for power, she decided, admiring the solid muscles which gave him the girth to match his impressive height. He was like a lion, mighty and confident, even as he choked another man out.

As Hermione admired her savior, there came a sudden thump, and the body of the Faunus leader thumped to the ground, although the hunter in training could tell he was still breathing. Wiping his hands, the boy in black turned to her, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Can i help you with something?" A smile quirked her lips, and she leaned back against the wall, flipping her weapons back to gun form and slipping them into their hidden holsters before crossing her arms.

"I think you already did." With a chuckle, the boy looked around at his handiwork, before smiling wryly at her.

"I suppose you have a point there, although I didn't necessarily do this for you, regardless that I couldn't just leave a pretty girl in need"

"Oh? And why did you assault three members of the White Fang, if not to protect little old me?" the boy tilted his head forward to look at her over his sunglasses, and she caught a just a sliver of vibrant green before he tilted it back, hiding them his eyes once again.

"They were looking for me. I thought I'd save them the trouble of interrogating every scared child in the town and come to them. Sadly, it seems they didn't appreciate the thought." He smirked, tapping one of the unconscious bodies with a foot. "Seriously, it's like they're not even trying anymore. So very rude." Hermione remained silent, watching him as he talked. There was something about this boy, something familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what, exactly. Noticing her silence, the kid looked up from his alleged stalkers, giving her an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. Anyways, I should probably get going. It won't be long before they send more after me, and I'd like to be gone before that happens. Bloody buggers never learn their lesson." With a last smile he stood up and started walking away. Hermione just stood where she was and stared, her brain trying desperately to process the slew of memories that had burst into the forefront of her mind at his last words; or at least, the accent which had slipped out with them, something she hadn't heard in over sixteen years.

 _It couldn't be…_ Jolting into motion, she rushed for the end of the alley she had seen him exit, her mind racing. Bursting out of the alley, the teenage girl whipped her head back and forth looking for the figure of black on black, but there was nothing. He was gone.

XXX

 **All right, here's the next one, since you people seem to just devour these things, and I was bored. Not much to say about this one, except an apology if the fight scene kind of sucked. I'm still not very good at them, and this one just didn't really seem to flow. To be honest, I didn't really feel like it was that important, and just wanted to get past it, so I'm sorry if that disappoints you. Anyways, i hope you enjoyed the rest of the chapter, at least, and don't forget to leave a Review! See ya!**


	4. Green Trailer

When the stranger rolled into town on the edge of a dust storm, Marie knew there was something odd about him. He had that dark and silent type of aura around him, with the deadly sort of gait one would expect to find on a trained warrior, which he obviously was, if the long staff on his back was any indication. Dressed in little more than the tattered rags of a pair of black pants, worn thin from the road and claws of Grimm, and a similarly shabby faded vest which hung open to reveal a rather solid chest and abs, the young man was strange even by Vacuo's standards. Still, he was a survivor, as could be evidenced by the numerous scars running up and down his body, and the people of Vacuo respected strength. Thus, when he sat at Marie's bar, she didn't hesitate to sidle right over, although she did keep a ready hand on the small dagger hidden deep within the folds of her apron.

And what can I help you with, young man? Perhaps a glass of water?"Alright, just because he was tough-looking didn't mean she couldn't take a hab at his age. For Oum's sake, she'd be surprised if he was even eighteen. The boy didn't seem to notice, however, just shaking his head slightly before responding.

"Whiskey, if you don't mind. Need something strong to wash the dust off my throat."Marie shivered at the words, and for a moment, wished she was about two decades younger. His voice was like liquid velvet, even with the scratchiness of the desert still clinging on, and she had no boudt that some girl would one day be very happy as she went to sleep listening to that voice. Luckily, Marie was already happily married and had no intention of changing that fact, so she just nodded kindly, and reached under the bar for a glass and a bottle. Just as she was pouring a shot, however, she4 was distracted as the door to the back swung open, and with the pitter patter of little feet, the light of her life walked in, golden braids glinting darkly off the dim light.

"Hey Momma, Poppa was wondering if you gonna close up soon and- whoa, it's the Jade Serpent!" Marie, whose face had started to pull up into a wide smile at the sound of her daughter's voice, suddenly reversed it's course, and with an audible thunk, she set the bottle in her hands down.

"Mandy, what are you talking about? There ain't no serpent here. Just this nice young man wanting a drink." Amanda, Oum bless her, just turned her birght little six-year-old smile to her mother, little dimples turning it into a sight which could melt Atlas's coldest heart.

"That's who I talking Momma. He's the Jade Serpent! He got the badge and everything!"Marie turned to regard the newcomer, who was eyeing her daughter with an undisguised amusement, and narrowed her eyes to study him. True enough, there was a small green pendant stuck to his vest, curled into the shape of a snake with its fangs bared, and now that she looked closer, she could see the tell-tale scales on his neck and a hint of pointed fangs just barely pushing past his lips, all of which pointed towards the man being a snake faunus. The Jade Serpent was practically a legend in Vacuo, the first rumors of him having popped up a few years ago as a man who roamed the desert sands, stopping in towns for only a few days at a time and lending whatever aid he could against the creatures of Grimm. She would have expected him to be something a bit… taller.

"So he does, Mandy, but that gives you no right to bother him. Go tell your father that I've got a customer, and I'll be there soon as he's gone, ya hear? Get!" When the little girl didn't leave quickly enough, Marie grabbed a washcloth from the counter, snapping it at her daughter's bum to hurry her along. Once Amanda was gone back towards their lodgings at the back of the tavern, Marie turned to the customer, smiling apologetically.

"Sorry about that. I swear I've taught her better than that.."Thankfully, the teenager didn't take offense, waving her concern away with a hand.

"It's no matter. I've had far worse when it comes to fans. A name can be hard to live up to at times." Marie's face softened as she saw a shadow descend over the kid's eyes, as if he were remembering something horribly unpleasant. She didn't know what it was she'd said, but seeing as he obviously didn't want to continue the conversation, Marie grabbed the glass she had forgotten on the counter at Amanda's appearance, sliding it towards him. He tipped his head towards her in thanks, a movement which made his platinum blonde bangs fall like a veil over his eyes, and drank deeply, slamming the shot glass down afterwards with a satisfied sigh.

After a few more drinks, the boy rose as if to leave, but paused for a moment when he faced the door. Marie was about to ask what he was wrong, when suddenly she heard it. A low, throaty growl drifted on the wind, barely heard over the raging sandstorm. Frozen in fear, the matronly woman could do little more than stare at the heavy oak door at the front of the tavern, and fight her instinctive urge to flee. She couldn't leave, however, not with the sandstorm out there. Precious few people ever braved the biting winds and scathing sand to come out alive, and she had been surprised enough when the Serpent looked like he was planning on it. If she stayed with her family here, however, and Grimm were to attack their small village of Astria, then they'd be just as dead. The only huntsman they had was old rickety Ralph, and he hadn't fought since the Great War, where his career had been ended by a thrown-out back.

Marie's decision was taken from her a moment later, when a loud thud sounded at the door. She jumped at the sound, and for a moment her eyes found the flint grey of her customer's. The next thud was accompanied by a loud crack, and with a slow, painful groan, the door caved in, crashing to the ground. Behind it stood a creature which would haunt her nightmares for years afterward.

The thing was pitch black, befitting a creature of such evil and malice, with only a bone white mask to separate it from a shadow in the storm. Standing on two legs and with a huge, slavering mouth full of fangs, the Beowulf was a fearsome beast, one bred for the sole purpose of hunting and killing. For a heavy, breathless moment, the three occupants of the room stood still as stone, each eyeing the other with either fear, curiosity, or , with a whisper so quiet Marie wasn't entirely certain she had actually heard it, the boy spoke, breaking the silence.

"Hide." It was all the warning she would get, as in a smooth motion he slipped the staff from his back and into his hands, two curved blades sliding out of the ends as he did so. The Beowulf, sensing his aggression, jumped forward, and he didn't hesitate to match, swinging his dual-bladed sickle with all the grace of a battle-hardened warrior.

As the weapon spun, it batted away paws tipped with huge, sharp claws, and the boy took a step into the creature's guard. One twirl later, a gash of red appeared within the deep black of its fur. Another, and there were two more, severing the oversized arms from its torso. As the Beowulf howled in pain at these wounds, he spun his whole body around, and the next blade silenced its voice, by way of lopping off its head.

Once again, there was silence as the Grimm's body faded into nothingness, its evil ripped from the world. Marie, who had cowered behind her bar, peeked over slightly, to find the teenager standing over its dissipating corpse, looking like an avenging angel as the wind coming in from outside whipped his blonde hair considered speaking, if only to wonder in awe at the skill he had displayed, when the air was suddenly rent by a shriek, coming from the back of the building. Marie's head whipped around to face that way, her breathing suddenly ragged, but before she could do anything beyond comprehending that her husband and daughter were in that direction, a blur blew past her. When she had frozen, the boy hadn't, moving with a purpose she couldn't believe towards the scream, grip tight on his weapon.

When she finally made it to the hall, Marie was greeted by a sight which both terrified her and brought hope at the same time. The Serpent was a blur, dancing around the tiny space like an expert ballroom dancer, and it took a moment for her to realize that his weapon had changed. Where before it had been a straight pole with the two sickle blades extending out in opposite directions from either end, now it was more like some sort of bladed nunchuk, with the pole having broken into multiple pieces connected by incredibly thin wires, and the boy wielding it was doing so expertly, forming a veritable wall of steel around himself. Even more than that, however, the whirrring of blades was accentuated by a near-constant pounding of gunfire, as each of the pole sections were revealed to be miniature shotguns, and his fingers danced up and down them expertly to fire their loaded dust rounds expertly.

As skilled and powerful as the boy appeared in his dance of death, however, Marie couldn't help but fear for him, as he stood against a veritable horde of Grimm, peering in through the torn wall at the end of the hall. But that wasn't what made her breath catch in her throat, and her heart give a painful squeeze. No, that was the crumpled form of her daughter, mere feet behind where the teenager fought desperately for his life. With a strangled cry, she dived for Amanda, snagging her hand and pulling her back, where he gripped the child tightly and raised her head to watch the fierce battle before her.

The boy spun and danced like a whirlwind, laying his blades and guns like an instrument as his long, dexterous fingers slid up and down the broken pole to unleash death upon his enemies. So skillful was he that even reloading appeared to be nothing more than a part of the deadly symphony, only a slight stuttering of the shotgun shells even hinting at the break. For several long minutes he fought, tearing through the Grimm horde like a hot knife through butter, until finally, there was nothing left but a few dark forms running into the storm. With little more than a sigh, the deadly warrior slid to a stop, reforming his weapon in a series of clicks until it was once again just a staff. Only then did he turn to Marie.

"There. You're safe." He said, offering a small smile. Before Marie could fully comprehend the words however, the boy's entire body tilted forward, falling to crash face first against the floor.

XXX

"He's gone!" The shout rang through the destroyed house, and in an instant, two females, one young and one older, were running towards it. As both Marie and Amanda slid to a stop beside Alvor, their husband and father respectively, they gaped at the empty bed in their guest room. The boy who had saved both their lives, as well as Alvor's, was gone, as if he had never been there. Even the bed was made, looking like he had never even slept in it. In fact, the only sign that he had ever existed was a small piece of paper, lying on top of the bedside table, and a few lien beside it. Hesitantly, Marie stepped over and picked it up, noticing that there was a neat, handwritten note on it. For a moment, she thought that perhaps he had just gone out for something, perhaps scavenge for survivors in the destroyed town around the inn, but when she read the words, that hope disappeared. It was short, just a few words, really, but for some reason they made her heart hurt, and with a gentle tenderness, she laid the note back upon the table. Turning from it, she smiled at her husband and daughter, who were looking at her worriedly, and just shook her head. Much as the boy had helped them, she couldn't hold his decision to leave against him. After all, they were planning on leaving themselves soon enough. There was nothing left of the village which had offered some measure of safety to their family, and the sands of Vacuo were rarely forgiving. She could only hope that a serpent might be able to survive alone, where others couldn't.

 _For the best whiskey I've ever had_

 _-Draco_

XXX

 **Alright, so that's that, and now you can all stop bugging me about who the fourth person is!**

 **...Okay, that was kinda mean. Don't worry, I haven't been annoyed, and your comments are always welcome. Now, onto more important business, I must apologize for the long wait on this. I know that technically I have no schedule for this story, but I would have had this chapter up sooner if it weren't for me finishing up highschool early and the chapter itself not wanting to work. In fact, this wasn't anywhere near what it supposed to be, funnily enough. My original plan was for Draco to basically save Weiss from an assassination attempt, but that just didn't want to be written, so this is what you have instead. Also, I must apologize for the last few paragraphs. I honestly didn't know how to end this, so I'm sorry if it seems a bit jittery. Anyways, I think I'll let you all go now, so I hope you enjoy and don't forget to Review! See ya!**


	5. Chapter 1: Welcome to Beacon

"Looks so small, doesn't it?" Ruby Rose, startled by the sudden voice, glanced up from the window she had been staring at her old school of Signal through, smiling as she saw her favorite cousin beside her.

"Luna, you made it!" Ruby cried, wrapping the pale blonde in a tight hug. Luna was technically her cousin, but they had been raised like sisters, and Ruby had grown slightly worried when she didn't see the older girl boarding their transport ship to Beacon.

"Of course, I couldn't leave you alone with the golden terror, could I? And at a brand new school, no less." Ruby grinned at the nickname for her other sister, but before she could say anything, a dark form moved behind Luna, distracting her. She opened her mouth to warn Luna, but wasn't quite quick enough, and the buxom blonde sneaking up behind them easily wrapped herself around Luna's neck.

"Aw, if it isn't my favorite cousin! And here I was afraid you would miss out on fall the fun and hot guys!"Stiffening only slightly in surprise, Luna turned and smiled at Yang, carefully extricating herself from the other girl's grasp.

"I doubt any guys would be interested in the girl they think is blind and deaf, Yang." She said gently, gesturing towards her eyes. Both Ruby and Yang winced slightly as they looked at the specially made glasses on their sister's face. They were a clinically opaque white, and tightly sealed over her eyes to block out all light, as well as looping around and into her ears to plug them just as completely and forming a sort of visor. The two sisters had long since grown used to Luna's special circumstances and were fully aware that she wasn't truly crippled, quite the opposite in fact, but they could imagine just what someone unacquainted with the girl and her abilities might think.

"Well you could always just…" Yang smiled slyly at Luna, and the younger girl shivered slightly at her tone of voice. Before she could ready herself though the grinning blonde reached up, and with a smooth motion, unhooked the visor from Luna's face and lifted it off, dancing away to dodge the hands which reached out for her. "Take it off!" Ruby and Yang just managed to see a flash of bright, brilliant blue eyes, until Luna's lids shut down over them, her face scrunched up tight as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Yang! You know not to do that!" She cried, stepping towards the blonde. Yang didn't seem repentant, however, dodging out of her desperate grab and moving to hide behind Ruby, who was watching the whole scene with mixed feelings. For one thing, she knew Yang was being mean, stealing Luna's visor as she was, but on the other hand, she really did think Luna was beautiful without her visor, and the youngest of the trio of girls hated not being able to see her beautiful blue eyes.

"Come on Luna, just for a little bit! You're far too good looking to hide behind such an ugly thing all the time." Luna didn't answer, clenching her fists tightly as she stood there, struggling to keep her breathing even. Already she could feel a headache coming on, and her thoughts were slowly being scrambled by the overload of information washing through her. Now her eyes weren't so much screwed shut through anger and necessity as by pain, and she fought to keep from slamming her hands over her ears. With a sharp breath, Yang noticed her sister's distress, and as the mirth she had previously been feeling disappeared, she lunged for Luna, returning the visor to its rightful place.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't think it was that bad! You've had it off before at home!" She said, wrapping the girl in a big hug as Luna slowly released the breath she had been holding. As quickly as it had come, the headache disappeared, the overwhelming stream of data cut as if by a dam. With a gentle grimace, she hugged Yang back, instantly forgiving the blonde for her mistake.

"At home, it's just us, and quiet. Here… there's it's too loud, and bright. Without this thing, I have to see and hear it all twice, and sometimes more." Her voice was soft and kind, and within just a few moments, Yang was pulling back, grinning once again.

"Sorry, I didn't think of that. Will you be alright?" Luna nodded, then turned on Ruby, who was still standing nearby, biting her lips with worry.

"And what do you think _you_ were doing? You're supposed to protect me from her!" Surprised by the sudden scolding, Ruby's flailed her hands in apology, eyes wide.

"I'm so sorry! I just really wanted to see your eyes!" Luna laughed at the response, grabbing her little sister into a tight hug of her own.

"Don't worry, I forgive you. Of course, there is _something_ you can do to make it up…" She trailed off, and Ruby looked up to her, eyes shining at her suddenly sly tone.

"What is it? I'll do anything!" Ruby cried, eager to make up for her lack of helping before. Luna smirked and pressed a finger against her lips, throwing a glance in Yang's direction.

"What do you say we get some revenge, huh?" Her eyes going wide in surprise, Ruby nodded vigorously. Luna wasn't one to prank often, but when she did, they were always the best. It came with knowing exactly when and where to set them up. "Alright. Just stay right there for about… three seconds." Ruby frowned, unsure what Luna could possibly mean by that, but just as her mind had formulated the question, the older girl was suddenly pushing her away, throwing Ruby backwards. Arms pinwheeling, the teenager flew through the air, until she crashed into Yang with a heavy thump. The impact sent the blonde stumbling backwards, while Ruby used the sudden halt in momentum to catch herself. Before she could turn and glare at Luna for tricking her, however, she saw a sight which would stay with her for the rest of her days, and she was helplessly frozen by it.

When Ruby had bumped into Yang, the older girl ended up falling back into the large glass window that kept the transport ship's passengers from falling into the open air. Surprised, she caught herself, before turning a confused eyebrow towards Luna. She had heard the two younger girls plotting something, but if merely making her stumble was Luna's idea of revenge, then she must be slipping. Perhaps Yang could take the time for remedial pranking lessons once initiation was over… The blonde was drawn out of her plans, however, by the surprising sound of someone retching, and her feet being assailed with the sensation of being both warm and wet. Horror shooting through her veins, Yang turned, and saw the true depth of Luna's cruelty.

Not three feet away, there was a young blonde boy on his hands and knees, and while normally Yang would probably be ecstatic at the thought, all she could muster at the moment was revulsion. Although, that may have had something to do with the fact that he was currently puking his guts out, and she was standing directly in what appeared to be a puddle of his bile.

"My shoes!"

XXX

Luna was still grinning mischievously as the three girls finally stepped off the ship, and Yang was fuming. Ruby was just thankful that the eldest had an extra pair of boots in her bag, or there might have been a brawl right then and there, and she wasn't certain the transport ship would have been able to survive the fight. They had made it, however, and were now free to admire Beacon and all its students… as well as their weapons.

"Ooh, a collapsible staff! And look, he's got a fire sword!" Squealing in delight at the vast array of weapons before her, Ruby made to dive into the crowd., intent on appreciating every single one of them. She didn't get far, however, suddenly dragged back by Yang's hand on her hood.

"Woah, there little sister, don't go running off like that."

"But Yang!" She complained loudly, glaring up at the blonde. Yang just smiled back.

"Oh come on, I am not feeding your weapon fetish. Besides, aren't you happy with your own weapon?" With a blush, Ruby touched the black rectangle hanging off her waist, releasing the catch that kept her most precious ally compressed in an easily carriable state and allowing it to unfold into a massive scythe.

"Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose. It's just that I like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people… only better."Yang sighed at her little sister's comment. She loved the girl to death, but Ruby was way too introverted for her own good. Meeting Luna's eye, she nodded slightly, and received one in return. Time for plan 'force Ruby to socialize' to start.

"And why don't you try making new friends? Actual friends, not weapons." Luna asked as Yang slowly started to edge away, distracting the younger girl.

"Why would I need anyone else? I've got you guys." Said Ruby, and Luna smiled sadly at her naivety. Truly, it hurt to do this to the younger girl, but it was necessary. Ruby had always been sheltered by her older sisters, and what few friends she had managed to make she had been forced to leave behind at Signal. Now she was in a new place, knew absolutely nobody, and was even far younger than almost anyone else in the school. There was no way she would ever break out of her shell on her own, so they would just have to shatter it by force. At least Luna knew that her little sister would be in good hands.

"About that…" Yang started to say, drifting even further away from the youngest of the trio. "Thoseareourfriendsgottagobye!" With that, both Luna and Yang stepped into the crowd and were swept away, faster than Ruby could , the younger girl spun, trying to see where they went, but she only made herself dizzy as she shouted in surprise.

"Wait, where are you going? Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we even have dorms!? ...I don't know what I'm doing." With a sense of finality, Ruby allowed herself to fall backwards, feeling completely lost as her sisters abandoned her. She wasn't given long to question that decision, however, as when she fell backwards, she did not land on the hard cobblestone as she expected, but instead fell onto a trolley full of suitcases.

"What are you doing!?" The screech shocked Ruby out of her sudden stupor as she rubbed her head, which had banged against a sharp corner on one of the suitcases, and she looked up to find a face startlingly close to hers. Icy blue eyes were glaring sharply at her, framed by stark white hair and a dull red scar over the left one.

"Uh, hi?" She said, not completely sure why exactly there was an angry girl in her personal space.

"Do you even know what you've done!?" The girl suddenly screeched, making Ruby cringe back. Wow, that was a really high pitched voice.

"Umm… no?" She said, her voice unsure as she wondered what she could possibly have messed up this time. For a moment, she even thought it had worked, as the white-haired girl pulled back suddenly, but that was a short-lived hope. With angry motions, she opened one of the scattered suitcases, pulling out a small bottle of red Dust and waving it in Ruby's face.

"This is Dust! Pure, refined Dust straight from the Schnee quarries!" As the girl waved her bottle at Ruby, clumps of the Dust came flying out of it in little clouds, having obviously not been properly secured, and a sliver of fear shot through Ruby as she felt a slight tickling at the back of her nose. "Do you even know what I'm talking about? Dust! You know, fire, lightning, ice!"Ruby really didn't appreciate being talked to like a child, but there was little she could do, as she was desperately trying to fight back the tickling in her nose. Perhaps she shouldn't have bothered, however, as just as the screeching girl reached the end of her rant-or maybe it was the beginning, Ruby wasn't quite sure- she lost the war, and with a great burst of air, a sneeze tore through her, igniting all the red dust that had been caught in her sinuses as it went. Only a split-second activation of her aura kept Ruby from blowing her own head off, and even then just barely.

The blast resulting from her sneeze knocked Ruby off her feet, throwing the tiny girl to land several meters away. The screeching girl, however, didn't appear to get off so easily, as when Ruby finally managed to regain her senses and look up to view the damage she had caused, the girl looked like a chipmunk had attacked her head. The white hair was a mess, although it didn't appear to actually be damaged, and there were soot marks under her eyes, making it look like she hadn't slept in days. Her fancy white combat dress, too, was rumpled, although Ruby couldn't see any tears or holes, so at least she wouldn't have to pay for damages.

"Look what you've done!" She shrieked, and Ruby felt a surge of anger rise in her. Normally, the scythe wielder was a fairly calm and friendly person, if a bit hyper. Everyone had their limit however, and she had hit hers. Her sisters, who she had been depending on for security in the new school, had abandoned her, and now she had to deal with this posh, rich girl shrieking at her, when the whole mess hadn't even been her fault. No, Ruby was done.

"Well I'm sorry, okay! Maybe _you_ should be more careful with your stuff, Princess!" Ruby glared at the girl, silently daring her to continue shrieking at her. She was just begging to pull out Crescent Rose and give the little harridan a haircut to match the scorch marks, but before either girl could say or do anything else, they were cut off by a low chuckle.

"Not quite, but close enough." Shocked, Ruby reeled back as a veritable giant stepped between them, blocking her sight with his considerable girth. Seriously, the guy was massive; Ruby's head only came up to his chest!

"And who do you think _you_ are?" Ruby heard the other girl say, her tone derisive, although she could swear she heard something else there. The young teen was too busy staring up at the newcomer to notice, however, her eyes wide as she took in his entire form. His bulk wasn't grotesque, luckily for her eyes, but actually quite nice, the majority of it being made up of hard, well-toned muscle that somehow still looked sleek and lean despite the sheer mass of it, almost reminding her of a lion. His stance was easy and relaxed, but in it she could see his warrior past, every move he made holding the same grace and power she recognized in her own uncle Qrow, Luna's father, and Ruby's mentor in everything combat and just general badassery. Surprisingly, his face looked to be about the same as Yang's age under the dark sunglasses he wore, but she wouldn't be surprised if he was actually much older. He was certainly big enough for it. What really caught her attention, however, was his clothes. Contrary to popular(her sisters' and dad's) belief, she _was_ a teenage girl, and knew how to appreciate a fine member of the male specimen such as this, especially when he was draped in _very_ tight clothes, which matched his sinfully silky black hair. As she looked at him, her mouth suddenly went very dry, and for a moment, she wondered just how handsome he would be without those glasses in the way. She had a very strong suspicion that the answer would not be good for either of her sisters' sanity, let alone her father's.

"Harry Potter, at your service milady." Ruby was pulled out of her appreciation of the new boy when he suddenly bowed low with a flourish, and after a second's confusion realized he was answering the white-haired girl's question, although she did giggle when she heard the highly sarcastic tone in his voice. "And you are Weiss Schnee, heiress of Schnee Dust Company, the largest Dust mining and shipping corporation in the world." Weiss, as it appeared the white-haired girl was named, gaped for a moment, as if unsure whether he was complimenting her or not, before finally settling on a light curtsy and smile.

"Thank you, I-"

"The same company infamous for treating Faunus like utter pieces of shite, of course. I can see you inherited the high and mighty attitude of your father." Ruby was shocked just as speechless as Weiss was. That… had been unexpected.

"Why-you- how dare you!" If Ruby weren't still too surprised by the sudden turn in the conversation, she would have giggled as Weiss sputtered at Harry, the boy grinning like a lunatic the whole while.

"Simple, really. I'm not afraid to speak my mind. Funny how easily it cuts through your haughty attitude, isn't it?" For a moment, Ruby watched Weiss glare at Harry, and she was almost convinced the girl was going to either slap him or shriek again. That didn't seem to be the case, however, as she only huffed loudly, before turning and stalking away in anger. Ruby watched her go, before turning back to Harry, who was still grinning, his hands now tucked snugly behind his head.

"That. Was. Amazing!" She yelled, bouncing in glee. "Ohmygod, you just, like told her off, just like that! That was so cool!" Harry offered the bouncing girl an amused look, unsure of how to deal with what appeared to be a hyper puppy in human form.

"Uh… are you alright?" He asked tentatively, amazed as the girl who he could swear was far too young to be going to Beacon suddenly stopped bouncing and stared up at him with her striking silver eyes, glowing in excitement.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine." She replied sheepishly, blushing brightly as she realized what she had been doing. Oum, she was acting like a child! "I just… that was really cool." Harry smiled softly at the sight, and driven by some unknown instinct, reached up to ruffle her hair.

"If you say so, little one. I just gave her a taste of her own medicine, that's all." Ruby closed her eyes as Harry's hand brushed her head, memories of Qrow and her father making a similar motion swimming up from the depths of her mind, and before she realized it, she was leaning into the touch, sighing contentedly. A moment later, however, the feeling was gone, as Harry finished the motion and withdrew his hand. She opened her eyes just in time to see a sliver of emerald green peeking out from under his glasses as he smiled softly down at her, before his head tilted once again to hide it. Realizing just what she had done, her face burned red with embarrassment. What on Remnant had just happened?

"Oh my Oum, I'm being so rude! I haven't even introduced myself!" She cried, her face morphing into one of terror. Her mom would have killed her if she had heard Ruby had been so ill-mannered to a boy she just met! "I'm Ruby Rose, but you can just call me craterfa- actually, just call me Ruby." Again, the girl's face burned as she stopped herself and offered her hand, looking at the ground as she fought desperately against her embarrassment. Oum, what was wrong with her today? Luckily, Harry didn't seem to notice, letting out a low, rumbling laugh.

"Of course, Ruby. I'm Harry Potter, at your service." This time, the line carried far more respect, and even more blood rushed to Ruby's face as rather than bow like he had for Weiss, the boy took her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing her knuckles gently. "It was a pleasure to play your shining knight." For a moment, Ruby just stood there, too shocked to speak, until Harry laughed once again. "I'm kidding! Merlin, you should see your face right now. I don't think I've ever seen a rose so red before." Ruby didn't respond, still trying to process his words as she stared at her fingers. After a few moments of waiting, Harry started to worry that maybe he had broken the girl, and suddenly tentative, he pushed her shoulder gently.

"Uh, Ruby? Anyone home?" At his touch, the young girl jumped in surprise, and Harry rocketed backwards, hand reaching unconsciously towards his shoulder. He stopped himself, however, when he saw the girl looking around wildly.

"Huh? What?" She asked, looking confused, until her eyes landed on Harry, still crouched slightly. "Oh sorry Harry. I was just…" Ruby's voice trailed off as suddenly the memory of what had occurred just a few seconds before came rushing back. "Um nothing, never mind! Let's… talk about something else! Yeah, that sounds good." Harry, allowing his hand to drop back to his side, raised a bemused eyebrow. He was starting to think that this girl was seriously weird, but at least it was a fun kind of weird. At least it was better than some of the friends he had before, and if he stuck with her, he doubted he would ever lack for laughs.

"If you want. What _should_ we talk about then?" For a second, Ruby bit her lips, struggling hard to think of something other than the fact that the boy before her had kissed her hand like some kind of noble hero from her fairy tales.

"Uh… well do you know where we're supposed to go? I didn't get a directory." Glad to finally be getting somewhere, Harry grinned, before nodding in the direction of the school.

"I believe we were meant to be going to the welcoming speech in the auditorium. Shall we be off then?" Smiling her own smile, Ruby nodded vigorously, and they started towards the school's main building, walking side by side. After a few steps, however, Harry's smile twisted into a frown, and he paused mid-step.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, noticing the change. Harry turned his face towards her, and not for the first time, she wished she could see under the glasses he wore.

"I thought I recognized someone, but… I must have been mistaken." Frowning, Ruby glanced around. The courtyard was almost entirely deserted, except for them.

"Who? There's no one else here." For some reason, Harry's lips quirked at the question, but instead of answering he shook his head.

"Never mind. Let's just get going, yeah?" Ruby nodded slowly, but as they resumed walking, she kept her narrowed gaze on him. He still walked gracefully, surprisingly light on his feet, but there was a tension to his steps now that hadn't been there a second ago. She didn't know what had changed, or who he could have possibly seen, but with a shake of her head, she pushed the thoughts out of her head. Somehow, she had managed to make a friend, and she didn't want to spoil it by pushing him on something personal like that. She would figure out whatever was bothering him eventually.

XXX

 **DadadadadadadadadadadadaDUM!**

 **Welcome, one and all, to the first** _ **real**_ **chapter of HLHD! Yes, I know that technically, the Trailers count as chapters, but in reality, they are just that, Trailers. At the point of writing them, I saw them as essentially concept art, since I wasn't even sure if this would become an official thing. Now though… well, here we are. HLHD is officially a go, and Oum help us all for it.**

 **Alright, introductions out of the way, I shall start by apologize if anybody is out of character, except for Luna who I purposefully made OOC for several reasons. This is my first time writing the RWBY characters for anything, and I hope that I lived up to the standards set by the actual show. As for Luna, as I said, there are several reasons for her change in personality. Firstly, we already have a weirdo insane girl with Nora, and since this is set in her home universe, it would feel wrong having Luna try to force her way into that role. ALso, since this is not only a different life, but Luna was actually raised by at least somewhat sane people this time, it only made sense that she would be more stable than she was before.**

 **Okay, so something I wnated to mention, since this was acutally a first for me, is that last chapter I received a troll review from a guest. Now, I'm not upset; quite the opposite, actually I find it quite amusing and highly flattering that I'm both good enough and wide spread enough for people to feel me worth insulting. It actually gave me quite a laugh, but I wanted to ask some advice from you readers, since I didn't quite understand what it was supposed to mean. For that, I will qoute it here. "Well, this chapter was incredibly masterbatory. Consider trying not to be awful." So, I understand the last bit pretty well. Obviously he is trying to say I suck, despite the fact that even from just a grammatical and syntax standpoint I outclass pretty much ninety-eight percent of Fanfiction, not to mention several published authors, but hey, if he thinks my plot and story sucks, that is his god(read: old white men fed up with tea taxes)-right. What I really want to know though, is what the fuck the rest of it is supposed to mean. Like, seriously, is he trying to say this was something he would jer k off to, or is he trying to say I just jerked off all over the keyboard and that was what came up? If anyone has any ideas, feel free to mention them, because I'm incredibly confused at the moment.**

 **Other than that, I don't think I have anything else to say except I hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to Review. I shall be working on putting up more of this story soon, but for now, I will see ya'll later!**


	6. Chapter 2: Reunions

When Ruby and Harry walked into the auditorium, the latter raised his eyebrows in appreciation. The room itself wasn't particularly special, just a big empty area with a raised stage, but the number of students wa actually quite surprising. THere were even more here than at Hogwarts, which was a surprise considering that school had represented pretty much the entirety of Britain's magical youths. Then again, pretty much everything about Remnant was far more advanced and different. He supposed it came from being forced to progress in order to survive, whereas the Wizarding World had been completely stagnant for his life there. Whatever the case, he noticed something about the way the students were arranged, and frowned.

"Well, I suppose this is where we part ways." He said, regret coloring his tone. Ruby had been nice enough to talk to, and considering he had come to Beacon completely alone, he had been looking forwards to making friends, finally safe from the White Fang and any retribution they may mete out.

"What are you talking about?" Asked Ruby, turning to face him with a small pout on her face. Not for the first time, Harry smiled softly at how cute she looked. It was like talking to a puppy. An overeager, hyper puppy, with a weapon fetish. He reached up and brushed her hair lightly, eliciting an annoyed shout of "Hey!"

"Don't worry, little one, I won't be far. The boys are on the other side of the hall." He nodded to the crowd, and Ruby gasped as she realized he was right. The left side was completely male, while the right was female. She could even see Yang among the crowd, alhtough not Luna, waving happily among her. Glancing back to Harry regretfully, trying to hide her blush at her sister's antics.

"Okay, I guess I'll see you later." She glanced up, only to notice that he wasn't looking at her, but was staring off into space. A surge of annoyance ran through her, and she stepped up to stand toe to toe with him. "I will see you later, right?" She asked in her most threatening tone, and Harry's gaze snapped back to her.

"Oh, uh, yeah, sure. Don't worry, I'll come find you after initiation, if nothing else. Someone has to keep you from blowing up the school. Again." He said the last with a sly grin, and Ruby's face burned. With a huff she turned and stomped away, struggling to ignore the rumbling laugh coming from behind her.

His grin still lingering, Harry made for an open spot in the men's side of the crowd, but pretty quickly it was wiped away, and his mouth twisted into a frown. When he'd first caught the familiar scent outside, he thought it was nothing, a figment of his imagination. But then it had been there again, inside the auditorium, and his face hardened as he remembered the last time he had smelled it. Three years had passed since then, and even now, the choice to leave still tore at his heart like a wild beast gnawing on a bone. He had no idea just how much the little girl he remembered had changed since then, and chances were she would be out for his blood. Dammit, and here he'd thought he would be safe at Beacon, beyond their reach. He was drawn out of his thoughts, however, by a cleared throat ringing through the hall, and he looked up to see a man with gray hair and a cane standing at the podium.

"I'll… keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and aqcuire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you, to take the first step."Harry raised an eyebrow at the man as he walked off the stage. Obviously, that must have been the professor Ozpin he had heard so much about. _Funny,_ he thought. _The guy almost reminds me of Dumbledore for some reason._ There was a sort of power about the man, a regal bearing that told Harry that no matter how old Ozpin might look, he could probably wipe the floor with the teen, without even setting down his coffee, too. Perhaps this place wouldn't be too different from Hogwarts after all.

XXX

Luna was already waiting for the two sisters when they finally made it to the hall they would be sleeping in that night, and Ruby didn't hesitate to throw herself at the girl, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"Hey Ruby," she said, returning the gesture. "Have fun with your new friend, did you?" Ruby, surprised at the sudden question, blushed, stepping back slightly and looking at the floor.

"You saw that?" She asked, and then her eyes narrowed and shot up to look at Luna. "Or did you _see_ that?" Luna's smile widened, and as if to mock the younger girl, reached up and brushed Ruby's hair.

"Both, technically. Although I don't know if the former can quite be counted." She responded, tapping her visor thoughtfully. Ruby smiled at the joke. Luna had such a weird sense of humor.

"You know what I mean but… is that why you left me alone?" She asked, knowing her sister rarely did anything without a reason. Unsurprisingly, the older girl nodded.

"Partly. Harry's a good man." Ruby cocked her head at the response, but before she could respond, Yang decided to butt in by way of appearing behind Luna and wrapping her arms around the paler blonde, leaning her head on Luna's shoulder as she cooed.

"Oooooh, and what's _that_ supposed to mean? Do you know this Harry person, and why have we never heard of him before, hmm?"Luna, having seen the action coming, relaxed into the familiar hug, glad to once again be with her sisters. She was starting to get a headache, as even with her visor blocking out normal vision and sound, her gift was starting to slip out of her control, surrounded as she was by so many fates tied together.

"From a very long time ago, yes. Before dad even found me." She answered, sighing as she anchored her Semblance to Yang and Ruby. Seeing the flow of time constantly was a pain in the ass, especially when surrounded with so many people, each possessing their own streams that tried to force their way into her head, but she had known Ruby and Yang for so long that she could easily focus her gift on them, letting the others fade away as she immersed herself in their comforting presence. Even then, it was distracting, hence the visor to block out ordinary sight and sound. She'd already learned to supplant that by cementing herself within her own stream, bare milliseconds ahead of reality to the point where she could see and hear essentially normally, but sadly she couldn't block out everything else.

"Oooh, childhood crush, was it?" Yang teased, but Luna just smiled softly, used to her sister's playful personality.

"No, but he was a good friend, and an even better ally. He once pulled me out of my shell without even trying. Ruby should be child's play for him."

"Hey!" The younger girl protested, unhappy that her sisters had plotted against her. She went ignored, however, and both girls laughed at her bright red blush. Ruby was so easy to mess with.

XXX

Blake Belladonna as she stepped out of the bathroom and started walking towards the temporary sleeping quarters for students. She really didn't want to have to sit and listen to the ceaseless chatter of her classmates, and would much prefer to find a quiet place to read. She was stopped, however, by a deep, rumbling voice.

"So the housecat has slipped her leash. Or did Taurus finally grow a brain and send you after me?" Frozen, Blake's mind went blank. No, it couldn't be possible. She recognized that voice. It was one deeply ingrained in her mind, a precious memory that she had shoved into the deepest recesses of her thoughts so as not to feel the pain accompanied with it. But he had died. She saw him die!lowly, hesitantly, Blake turned, feeling his eyes on the back of her neck as he waited for an answer. As she did, a smell hit her, the enhanced feline senses her faunus heritage provided dissecting it instantly. The familiar scent of wet grass and leather washed through her mind like a forest fire, warming every part of her as she breathed a name she had sworn never to speak again.

"Harry?" Finally completing the turn, she found his feline eyes, just as vibrantly green as she remembered, and her breath caught in her throat at their beauty. Standing before her was the man she had once thought of as a brother, the one who had practically raised her after she ran away from home. The rugged, lion-like features of his face were so similar, albeit aged a few years, and his hair was still black as sin. Above it, the two large lion ears she remembered playing with as a child were still there, big and fluffy as ever. She couldn't breathe as she looked at him, three years of pain and loss coming back to the forefront of her mind. "B-but… you're dead." She whispered, and then wished she hadn't as his familiar grin stole what was left of her clear thoughts.

"It takes more than a falling building to kill me, Blake. You should know that." The amused rumble of his voice was too much for her, and before she could stop herself, Blake launched at the large man, wrapping him in a bone-crushing hug.

"You bloody bastard, you left me! I thought you were dead" She cried into his shoulder, pressing as close as she could possibly get to him. He was so warm and familiar, tears were already staining the shoulder of his trench-coat, and when his arms finally came around to encircle her, she let out a sob. Oum, he was alive.

"I tried to get to you, Blake. I really did, but Taurus had so many guards on you not even I could get through. Also… I wasn't sure you would come with me." Shocked, Blake looked up to meet his slitted feline eyes, green and gold staring into each other.

"Of course I would come with you! You were my best friend!" Harry winced slightly at the past tense, but he supposed he did deserve it. Before Blake could comment on it though, he spoke again, his voice heavy with regret as he remembered the things that had led him to make those fateful decisions three years ago.

"And leave Taurus?" Blake froze at the question, but Harry didn't give her a chance to respond, pressing on quickly. "No, you still believed in him then, and had yet to see what he had become. I left because I couldn't get to you, yes, but also partly because you needed to see what the White Fang was turning into. I didn't know you would think I was dead, though. Taurus knew I was alive." Blake's breath caught as she heard the truth in his words, and yet another burst of anger swept through her towards the man she had thought she loved. What else had he hidden from her?

"You're right. I'm sorry. I was so stupid then." She muttered the words into his shoulder, but Harry heard all the same, and his grip tightened.

"So you've left?" He asked, feeling ashamed that he would even need to. But if this turned out to be a trick, or a trap? Well, he wasn't sure if his heart could take it. Blake was like a little sister to him, and having her betray him would be a fate worse than death. Hearing his wariness, the cat faunus looked back towards his face, her golden eyes shimmering with tears as she remembered the train where she had finally made her decision..

"Yes. Adam… he's not who I thought he was." She said, and Harry nodded solemnly. He knew just how she had felt about the bull, having watched the young love grow and bloom from seed to fruit, and understood just how much that truth must have hurt to accept. After a few more moments of holding the girl, he released her, smiling softly.

"Well, much as I'm glad to see you again, we should probably getting back… and not together." Blake's head snapped sharply towards him, and her steps back towards the rest of the school faltered.

"Why not?" She asked, suspicion leaking into her voice. Harry shook his head, knowing what she was thinking.

"It's not like that. The White Fang are still after me, and I don't want to risk them recognizing you. We'll have to pretend not to know each other, for a few days at least." Understanding dawning, Blake nodded thoughtfully.

"You're right. So we act like strangers, but slowly grow closer until they think I'm just a new friend." Harry grinned, pulling a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket and putting them on, before throwing a hood back over his head, effectively concealing his faunus heritage. "I doubt that my disguise will work for long, in fact they probably already know exactly who I am, but you were very secluded the entire time we were with the Fang. Hopefully, we can keep you hidden for a while longer." Blake smiled at the lion faunus. He had always been so loyal, and she felt almost like her heart, shattered by both his loss and Adam's revealed cruelty, was healed, at least partially, by his return from the dead. Nodding, she turned, and waiting just a few seconds to allow him to get ahead, took the first step into her new life.

XXX

"Harry!" Yang slapped her hand to her ear at Ruby's high pitched squeal of joy, and even Luna winced. Both of the older sisters watched as their third jumped up from where she had been laying in preparation for lights out, running to latch onto the arm of a very large boy, very scrumptious teenager had been walking towards them. Yang's eyes went wide at the sight of him, and beside her Luna groaned as he face stretched into a lascivious smile. The blonde stood slowly, carefully turning her usual boisterous movements much more… sultry, and stalked towards mister Dark and Handsome, her eyes hungry as they raked up and down his muscular body. Once there, she latched onto the arm across from Ruby, cooing as she grinned up into his sunglass-clad eyes.

"So _this_ is your little friend, Ruby? You've been holding out on me!" Unsurprisingly, Ruby groaned at her sister's actions, knowing exactly where this was going.

"Yes, Yang, this is Harry. Please don't flirt with him, he's my first friend at Beacon!" YAng giggled, laying her head on the _very_ solid shoulder of the boy, who looked like he was about to have a panic attack as the two girls hung onto either of his arms.

"But _Ruuuubyyyy!_ How can I just ignore… _all_ of this!" She whined, her mouth twisting into a satisfied grin as the younger girl started blushing fiercely and tugging at Harry's arm.

"Leave him alone Yang, or I swear I'm going to tell dad!" Ruby yelled, pulling as hard as she could, but Harry was like a boulder, completely unmovable as he watched the two girls fighting over him. What the bloody hell was going on? He had just come over to say hi to Ruby like he promised, and now this girl, who it seemed was familiar with her, was now practically groping him. Thankfully, someone seemed to notice his plight, and he sighed in relief as a pale blonde girl wearing some sort of visor over her face pulled both Ruby and Yang off him, smiling gently.

"Looks like you haven't changed a bit, Harry. Still have all the girls after you, I see." Harry tilted his head at the comment, confused.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" He asked, unsure why this girl was addressing him with such familiarity. He didn't remember meeting any blind people before, and he was even more confused by the fact that she moved as if she could see perfectly fine, but that was impossible. Even if she wasn't blind, the visor was completely smooth and opaque. There was no way light could get through.

"Of course you do- oh, sorry. You probably don't recognize me with this thing on." Then, to Harry's surprise, the girl reached up to the visor and, with a smooth motion, pulled it off, shaking out her hair as her hands dropped and she opened beautiful crystal blue eyes to look at him. At the sight, Harry's breath caught, memories of a different life suddenly bursting into his thoughts.

"Luna? You're here too?" He asked breathlessly, struggling to think. Yes, he had known that he wasn't alone in this world due to a chance meeting just a few months prior, but he hadn't even considered that Luna might have crossed into Remnant as well. She seemed different too, much more confident, and dare he say it, sane. There was a sense of calm about her that he had never seen in the small blonde before, despite her features being almost exactly the same as he remembered them from their school years.

"Hello, Harry. It's nice to finally meet you again." Luna smiled, and just like that, the tension which had appeared in his muscles disappeared. It was the same kind smile she had often offered him in their previous lives, and he now knew without a doubt that it was her, and not just some girl pretending.

"Sorry, I got stuck in traffic." He said, smiling widely. It was a comfort to once again be with his old friend, and for a moment he marveled at the fact that this was now two reunions in one day. What else could possibly happen?

"You!" That, apparently. Grinding his teeth, Harry turned around, expecting to see the shrieking harridan that was Weiss Schnee, but when he saw who was actually behind him, he froze in shock. "You have a lot of explaining to do!" Harry winced as the high-pitched yell scratched against his enhanced hearing, having to fight the urge to clap his hands to his ears. Now standing before him was a young woman with a wild man of curly brown hair that could almost match his own, and familiar brown eyes glaring up at him. It was funny, he thought with a chuckle, he remembered a time when she had once been taller than him, but now she barely came up to his chin. Damn lion genes, making him so tall.

"Excuse me? I'm not quite sure what you mean." He said, feigning innocence. As far as he knew, she only recognized him from that one time in the alley, and, with a sly chuckle, he wondered how long he could keep it that way. Luna obviously recognized him, but he wasn't certain if this girl would.

"You know exactly what I mean, you prat! Why exactly did you save me that day?" Harry raised an eyebrow at the fuming woman, chuckling again.

"I'm fairly certain I explained that already." He said, grinning as she ground her teeth. Damn, he had forgotten how much fun it could be to annoy her at times. He had no idea why exactly she was at Beacon, especially since he had last seen her in Atlas, but maybe he could have fun with this.

"Are you sure their wasn't any other reason you wanted to tell me about?" She asked, her eyes narrowing, and a chill went through Harry. What could she mean by that?

"Not at all." He said, but she only narrowed her eyes more. His throat going dry, he glanced towards the three girls standing nearby, but they didn't seem to be inclined to help. Luna, her visor once again on her face, was smiling in amusement, Yang was looking between him and the bushy-haired woman with suspicion, and Ruby just looked confused by her sudden appearance. His eyes snapped back to the girl's in front of him, however, when he felt a hand lightly brush at his bangs, and his stomach dropped as he realized what she was doing. Damn it, she did remember!

"Aha! I knew it!" She said, her finger resting on the small, lightning bolt scar on his forehead. It was a relic of his old life, somehow crossing the veil of death to mark him even in his new body, and Harry cursed its appearance. Now he would have to explain why he hadn't stayed when he first found her. That was not going to be a fun conversation, especially with an audience.

"Look, 'Mione I can explain…" He started, throwing any pretense of misunderstanding to the wind. She knew exactly who he was, so there was no point in hiding it. He stopped, however, when she placed a finger on his lips.

"Oh, you had better hope so, Harry Potter, or so help me, I will make any torture the Dark Lord could have dreamed up look like a game of patty-cake by the time I'm done with you." Harry's throat went dry at the threat, and once again he glanced over to the three sisters for help. Both yang and Ruby were in similar states as before, of course, but Luna, it seemed had some measure of pity within her, as she stepped forward and grabbed the witch, spinning her around.

"Leave him alone, Hermione. He had his reasons." She said gently, smiling at her friend. Hermione, for her part, tilted her head, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"How do you- Luna?" She gasped, and Harry felt a twinge of jealousy that she had figured it out quicker than him. He ignored it, however, in favor of a sense of jy as the two girls embraced, laughing out loud as they realised they had both been reborn into remnant. They stayed like that for several seconds, until finally they were separated by the loud clearing of a throat. Surprised, all three of the natives of Earth turned to face Yang, who was looking at them expectantly.

"Okay, not that I want to ruin your reunion or anything, but who are you people, and how exactly do you know our sister Luna?" Both Hermione and Harry glanced over at the paler blonde, their eyes wide at the sudden declaration, but she just shrugged her shoulders. They looked back to where Yang was looking at them with her arms crossed and tapping her feet, the perfect image of overprotective big sister, and Harry groaned internally. Well, this was going to be difficult.

XXX

 **Alright, and that is the second chapter done! I know, this is going up really quick, but what the hell, I've been in a writing mood recently, and I'm extremely excited to finally be pushing forward with the actual plot for this story, even though i wasn't exactly planning on ever doing so. Dammit, this is all you people's fault.**

 **Anyways, there's a couple things I wanted to talk about before I let you guys go. First off, no Blake/Harry will** _ **not**_ **be a pairing! I know you guys are going to ask, but just no. They will have a very close brother/sister relationship, yes, but they will not be romantically involved. I already have plans for Harry's pairing, and tentative ideas for Blake's. Also, for those of you who haven't quite puzzled it out yet, or the explanation was confusing, I will lay out exactly what Luna's semblance is. Essentially, she can see** _ **and**_ **hear the future, generally up to about ten seconds for now, not counting the various visions sh will receive of certain events. She can't turn it off, and it can easily become overwhelming if she is using her normal senses as well. However, she can focus it to the point where she only sees a few milliseconds ahead, so it feels like she's just hearing and seeing normally, but there is still a sort of buzz in the background.**

 **Alright, that should be good for now, but if any of you have any questions, comments or concern, feel free to send them to me in either a Review or a PM. For now, though, I will see ya later!**


	7. Chapter 3: The Night Before

"Who are you and how do you know our sister Luna?" The question hung in the air as Harry,struggled to find an answer. Hermione, as well, looked shocked by the sudden interrogation and the wild blonde glaring like a vicious guard dog as she cocked her hip in a challenge. Before either of the two hunters-in-training could answer, however, they were taken pity on as the girl in question stepped between the three, smiling softly and bringing her companion up short.

"Peace, Yang. They're old friends of mine. From before Dad found me." Yang's eyes widened minutely, and she took a short step back, her judging gaze now possessing a new edge to it. Harry fought to keep from shifting under it, the thousands of questions he could see burning in her eyes making him uncomfortable. He had no idea what exactly Luna was talking about, or even what the heck was going on anymore, but he did know that this was edging into territory he would rather not go. _All he had wanted to do was come say hi to Ruby as promised…_ He lamented silently, until finally the golden-haired young woman shifted, and her face settled into a loess hostile stance.

"Are you certain?" She asked Luna, and the younger blonde nodded in acquiescence. As he watched their exchange, Harry marveled at the fact that Luna was even here, on Remnant, let alone far more lucid than he ever remembered her being.

"I'm fine, Yang. Why don't you go take Ruby to socialize some more?" Said girl jumped at the mention of her name, and Harry smirked slightly. Ruby had been trying to shy away from the tension of the conversation, edging further into the background. He had to admit, it had been effective. Even he nearly forgot the girl was there in his confusion, until Luna pulled her back into the spotlight. As it was, the youngest girl quailed under the attention of everyone present, and looked like she was about to bolt until Yang grabbed her, suddenly grinning brightly.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Before Harry could fully process what had just happened, the two girls were gone, a complaining Ruby being dragged into the crowd of teenagers preparing for bed by the older girl. He watched them go in surprise, until a light clearing of a throat brought his attention back to the girls beside him. Hermione looked just as confused as he did, likely overwhelmed by the wildly shifting conversation, while Luna was smiling slightly at them both, an expression of satisfaction across her face.

"Sorry about that. Yang is just… highly protective of me and Ruby." Harry nodded, his eyes straying back to watch the retreating girl's back. Protective was an understatement. He had almost felt like he was under interrogation as her accusing stare bore into him, and the young man shuddered at the memory. Pushing it away, he turned back to Luna, his eyes narrowing behind their black shades.

It had been nearly sixteen years since he last saw the girl, sixteen long years since they had lain bloody and beaten on a cold, hard stone floor, betrayed and broken. Sixteen years since they died and were reborn into this world of Remnant, unaware that either had followed the other through the Veil. Looking at her now, however, he saw a completely different girl from the slightly insane Luna Lovegood he had once known, one far more lucid with a hard edge to her that he didn't recognize. HIs blood froze at the thought, and suddenly he was looking at the younger girl in a new light. She bore his Luna's face, yes, but was it really his friend and ally?

Moving swiftly, Harry took a step closer to Luna, before his hand shot out and caught her chin in a tight grip. Surprisingly, the girl didn't react, and he could feel her unflinching gaze behind the white visor, as hard and determined as the set of her jaw. Even when arcane energy started to dance across his fingertips, tingling just on the edge of charring her smooth skin, she didn't remained still.

"What did we find at the end of Slughorn's christmas party?" He asked, his voice brooking no complaint, even without one forthcoming. It was an ancient method of recognition to the witch and wizard, a question none but they knew the answer to. Luna smiled.

"My shoes, of course. Left there by the Nargles." Relief shot through the wizard, and he released her, a smile pulling at his lips. It was her.

"Good to see you again." Luna nodded in agreement, but before she could answer, both their visions were suddenly overtaken by a bushy head of brown hair, appearing between by the sudden appearance, Harry took a step back. Damn, he had forgotten Hermione was still there.

"Okay, will somebody tell me what in the name of Merlin is going on?" Harry winced at the older witch's demanding tone,and he turned pleading eyes to Luna. He honestly had no clue how to explain anything about what was happening, but the pale blonde had been the one to recognize them both, and remained calm throughout the entirety of the last ten minutes. If anyone could sooth Hermione it was her. From the spark in her eyes, Luna seemed to agree, and without hesitation she stepped forward, wrapping an arm about Hermione's shoulders.

"Shhh, 'Mione. Calm down."The older girl, a mixture of panic, anger, and confusion swirling inside her, looked at Luna. She was so lost at the moment. For the last sixteen years, Hermione had done all she could to forget about her life before Remnant, forget her home and the pain those memories bore. And now, like a storm come to wreck everything about her new life, Harry and Luna, faces so familiar they hurt, had appeared, throwing everything she had ever known out the window. Why were they here, at Beacon?

"What is happening?" She whispered as Luna held her. All around them, Hermione could see various students preparing for a good night's rest before their initiation tomorrow, but in that moment, she felt as if she were cut off from the rest of them, a tiny island of calm in the vast ocean.

"It was the Veil, Hermione." Came Luna's voice, a soft wave of comfort as her hand stroked the older woman's wild mane of hair, ironically similar to her own sister's. "It was a passage to a new world, and a new life. After we were sent through, our souls were reborn here, on Remnant."Slowly, Hermione started to nod. Okay, that… that made sense, if only a bit. The Veil of death had always been a mystery to those in the Wizarding World, as no one had ever returned from the other side. If they were reborn here, with memories intact, then it wouldn't be all that surprising. It certainly explained Harry's new stature, and possibly even Luna's new lucidity. New bodies met a new start.

With an almost audible click, everything settled in her mind, and Hermione's nods gave one final nod. So Hermione and Luna had returned from the dead as well, but honestly, was that a bad thing? No, she didn't really think it was. WIth that thought in mind, she turned to her fellow witch and wizard, a wide smile stretching her face.

"Well then. We have a lot of catching up to do, haven't we?"

XXX

Draco Malfoy was tired; very, very tired, and just a touch annoyed. Then again, spending the night next to a blonde guy in bunny pajamas with ear-shattering snores could do that to a man, even one accustomed to sleeping in a desert full of Grimm who could attack at any anyone honestly blame him for wanting to strangle the kid in his sleep? There had to be at least a few others who felt the same way. Perhaps he should have done so, actually. At least it would have spared the blonde from his current embarrassment.

"So, Snow angel. I overheard you talking about me last night, and I couldn't help but wonder…" Draco sighed as he listened to the fool prattle on and flirt atrociously with the white-haired girl, if it could even be called that.. Maybe he should help him… nah, this was far too amusing to interrupt. Draco hadn't had a good laugh in a long time, and entertainment was something he cherished deeply wherever he could find it.

As the seconds wore on, however, and the blonde boy dug himself deeper and deeper into the pit of being a social pariah he had dug, Draco started to grow frustrated. As much as he enjoyed watching the kid make a fool of himself, he, the Schnee, and the red-haired warrior who had been caught up in their conversation had somehow managed to plant themselves directly in front of his locker, and he _did_ need to get his weapons so as not to be late for the initiation. With a deep breath he finally just decided to get it over with, stepping forward and laying a tight hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Alright, that's enough. The lady obviously isn't interested, so lay off." The boy turned to him, shock covering his face, and Draco was forced to hold in another sigh. Merlin, why did these things always have to happen to him?

"Wha? what do you mean?" The blonde gaped at him. Draco's grip tightened, and he took a step closer, until their faces were mere inches away. He could see the kid's blue eyes widen as they met his, and Draco very nearly smirked. He knew very well that the slit pupils set on a flint grey background could be very disturbing to the uninitiated, even if they hadn't marked him as a faunus.

"Exactly what I said. She," Darco inclined his head to the heiress, who was looking at them with confusion, "doesn't seem very interested by your pathetic offers. As such, I would suggest you leave now, Before I decide I want rabbit for breakfast." As he spoke the last few words, Draco grinned, showing the curved fangs his heritage brought him, and the blue eyes widened even more, panic flaring within them. Their owner stumbled back, Draco releasing his grip on the kid's shoulder to allow him escape, and a few seconds later, he was gone, without even a glance backwards. Draco smirked at the sight of his retreating back. It was good to know he could still scare annoying idiots shitless, and all without falling back on his father's name as well.

"My thanks, whoever you are. He was really starting to get on my nerves." The slightly familiar voice broke Draco out of his thoughts, drawn to the past he would rather forget, and he turned to face the Schnee girl curtsying politely. Beside her, the red-head was nodding her thanks as well, but he could see a hint of mistrust in her eyes, and Draco had to suppress a small smirk. A smart one, that. She probably saw a lot more than her companion.

"I didn't do it for you, Schnee." He replied, shrugging away the hand the white-haired girl offered him. Ignoring her shocked expression, he stepped forward into the space left by the now-absent blonde, swiftly inputting his code into the locker and opening it as he continued. "I just don't suffer fools lightly, that's all." With a sneer, Draco turned away completely from the two girls, dismissing them from his mind as he set about gathering his gear. Beside him, however, the Schnee wouldn't be so eaily shrugged off, and after a few moments of gaping like a fish at his audacity, her face hardened, rage burning brightly in her eyes.

" _Excuse me_? Do you even know who you're talking to!?" Draco glanced towards her for a moment, before his gaze once again flicked away, and when he answered his voice was flat and uninterested, as if she were unworthy of his attention.

"Weiss Schnee, correct?I don't see how your name has anything to do with it." His words, innocuous enough in any other situation, were enough to send Weiss's rage boiling over. She had had enough. First, there was that idiot little girl the day before, nearly blowing her off the campus, then that utterly disrespectful boy who made a mockery of her, and now _this_? Weiss took great pride in her family name, despite her… issues with most of the others who bore it, and she was tired of it being stomped all over. A scream tore out of her mouth, raw and filled with all her aggravation from the last twenty four hours, and she stormed away, not caring that she was leaving Pyrrha Nikos behind. She could sort that problem out later. For now, she just wanted to get out of here and find something to kill.

Draco watched her go out of the corner of his eye, one brow raised in amusement. It would seem his skills worked on spoiled little brats as well. A chuckle escaped him at the thought. Oh, he had recognized the signs almost instantly, when he first saw the Schnee. She was far too much like he used to be not to, and it was almost sad, really, to admit that. Even after the war against Voldemort had ended, he hadn't changed much, although his demeanor had become a bit more peaceful towards the muggles and muggleborns. It was his experiences here in Remnant that had really shifted his world-view, as he struggled to fight and survive in a world where _he_ was the pariah, the hated and abused. It took being on the other end of the hatred and bias for Draco to really see how wrong he had been. Once that happened, more and more of his actions from his original youth had slowly been brought to the harsh light of day, and Draco had been forced to admit just how spoiled of a brat he really had been. It hurt, but as he looked back now, Draco accepted that those revelations were fully necessary, and was glad for them. Never again would he be the hated Slytherin. He refused to allow that fate to befall him once again.

Pushing the thoughts away, Draco slammed the door to his locker shut, turning to make his way towards the gathering point for initiation. He was stopped, however, when he saw the odd look on Nikos's face. She was looking at him with an uncomfortable intensity, as if trying to dissect his thoughts. Draco blanched inwardly at the concept, forcing the resurgent image of a man with no nose down, but outwardly he merely frowned.

"What?" Draco asked bluntly, and with a start, the girl's face changed to a look of surprise, shocked that he had noticed her watching him. Rather than explain herself, however, she just shook her head, turning away as her expression blanked.

"Nothing," She replied quietly, and walked away, disappearing into the bowels of the locker room. Draco watched her go for a few moments, but then shook his head and pushed the odd behavior out of his head. It wasn't any of his bus and right now he had an initiation to get to.

XXX

 _Ozpin is Dumbledore's evil twin._ The insane thought crashed through Harry's mind as he flew through the air, the Emerald forest of Vale stretched out wide beneath him. Seriously, throwing students off a cliff into a forest full of deadly Grimm that wanted to eat them? That was definitely a plan worthy of Hogwarts' ancient Headmaster, and once again Harry was amazed at the similarities between the two men. For a moment, the black-haired boy wondered if perhaps Ozpin actually _was_ Dumbledore, reincarnated just as they had been, but then he shook the thought away. No, Dumbledore hadn't gone through the Veil of Death as they had, so it was impossible. No, Ozpin really was just very similar, as low as the chances of that were.

As the air flowing past him suddenly changed directions, Harry pushed the morbid curiosity to the side, in favor of focusing on the forest below him starting to draw closer. He was falling now, and as he summoned his sword into his hand, Harry let out a feral grin. This was going to be fun.

Flipping his weapon open into its bow form, Harry grasped the string in his free hand, gathering energy as he did so. Magic was a curious thing in Remnant, Harry had found. While it wasn't necessarily as diverse in its use as he remembered, the strange arcane energy drifting through the air felt was far more tangible and powerful. It was child's play for him to summon three bolts of light, shaped vaguely like arrows, and fire them into the treeline, thin energy wires trailing behind. There was a small tug on his hand, which held the end of the trails, and suddenly Harry wasn't so much falling as he was _swinging,_ the arrows and their trails acting like a grappling hook to catch and redirect his momentum. His form cut gracefully through the air and into the trees, branches flitting within inches of his large body. He twisted and turned in the air to avoid them, until finally he was gliding just a few feet off the ground. With a thought, he snapped the bonds holding his weight up, and his large frame dropped to the forest floor, Harry's well-honed reflexes allowing him to land silently. The boy took a moment to catch his breath, blood pounding from the exhilaration of flight, before he straightened from the crouch he had fallen into, glancing around to get his bearings.

It appeared that he was deep in the forest, and as he pricked his ears to listen to the myriad of sounds saturating the air around him, alone. He could hear no other students nearby, and with a shrug to himself, started walking, keeping an ear out for danger. Time to get going, then.

XXX

 **Hello, my pretties!**

… **Okay, that was horrible. I-I think I'm scarred for life now. Please don't hurt me!**

 **Anyways… I'm back, I guess. Yes, I know, this chapter has taken forever, and I just want to say… that is entirely my fault. Yeah, I realized pretty quickly that I kinda screwed myself over with ending the last chapter how I did, for several reasons. One, I hate picking up in the middle of a scene, since it's always a pain and I feel like there's something not quite right about it. Also, I honestly had no idea how the whole (How do we know Luna) conversation was going to go, and it took me weeks just to decide that this would be the best way. Yes, I know, it's kind of a copout, but honestly, that's the best I could do under the circumstances. And really, Yang would probably trust Luna's judgement on something like that anyways, so it's not** _ **too**_ **bad.**

 **So, something I wanted to ask, since I'm not sure if I have yet or not, was if anyone had any suggestions for pairings or not. I've gotten a few already, sure, and I already have Harry's pairing set in stone, but I realized something while trying to figure this chapter out. Because I started this story on a whim, I literally have no idea where the hell I'm actually going with it. I wasn't even sure whether I would be trying to do a bunch of subplots referring back to the Wizarding World and trying to make it this big, complex story, or just keep primarily to the Ruby plot with a few twists and turns (Up to the end of Volume Three, at least). I've sorted out how I want to do that now, for the most part at least, but I'm still lost on the subject of Pairings. So, anything all you lovely readers could contribute would be much appreciated, and hey, if you guys want to guess on Harry's pairing at the same time, go right ahead. I may even tell you if you get it right ;P!**

 **Alright, that should be it, I suppose. I think I'll let you all go now. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don't forget to Review or PM me, and I'll see you all later!**


	8. Chapter 4: The Lion and the Snake

Draco Malfoy hated forests. Ever since he had been nearly killed in one at the tender age of eleven-the first time-the young wizard made a point of staying well away from any gathering of trees too large to see from one end to the other. So it was understandable, really, that he was worried when the headmaster Ozpin informed him and his fellow initiates that they would be launched wholesale into a forest full of Grimm without supervision. It was made even worse by the fact that his last sixteen, nigh on seventeen years had been spent in a fucking _desert,_ with barely any sort of trees whatsoever.

"Go to school, they said. Become a Huntsman, they said. It'll make you a better fighter." He mumbled under his breath as the line of students being launched off their pads slowly drew nearer and nearer to him. The teen glared at Ozpin, every molecule in his body burning at the sight of that silver hair. Seriously, was it some sort of requirement that the headmaster of a school be a crazy old coot with no concept of guarding their students? Draco was starting to think that may just be the case.

The grey-eyed teen's thoughts were torn away from his new headmaster when he felt a vicious force suddenly launch him upwards into the air, angling slightly towards the forest before them. Had he still been the man he was before coming to Remnant, he might have screamed, as the blonde boy from before did a second later. He was not, however, that cowardly child, scarred and broken by the vicious war he had participated in. Thus, Draco's only response to the sudden change in circumstances was to harden his thoughts and heart, face going blank even as it was pulled and pinched at by the passing air. His hand shot to the pole strapped across his back, taking advantage of the momentary lull in motion at the top of his arc to whip it out, before grasping it tightly in both he started to fall, Draco pressed a discreet button, and a slight smile tugged at his lips as the crescent-moon blades slid out of either end. It had been far too long since his _Lily Storm_ had tasted Grimm flesh.

Draco waited until just the right moment, when the first leaves just brushed against his bare skin, before twisting slightly, just barely catching a nearby branch in the curve of one of his blades. A slight crackle of aura covered the sharp edge, preventing it from biting deep into the bark, and with a grunt Draco swung his body, allowing his weapon to slide over its landing zone and redirect his momentum. In a flash, the young Huntsman-in-training had stopped his downward momentum entirely, and from there it was childsplay for him to twist and land lightly atop a nearby branch. The teen miscalculated his momentum, however, and almost as soon as he landed Draco was sliding forwards, balance destroyed by the tiny change. Scrambling, Draco did the only thing he could think of, reaching out to the source of arcane energy that tingled just at the edge of his consciousness.

Draco hadn't had much use for magic during his time in Remnant. It was powerful, sure, but the displaced wizard had little interest in experimenting with the strange energy that felt so different from what he was used to. He did know a few uses for it, however, and now he employed one in a desperate attempt to save his life. As he fell forward, Draco gathered the energy into a thick blanket around himself, And it dragged at him, defying gravity. Like a feather, he drifted to the forest floor, before stepping out of his self-made bubble and out onto solid another moment's hesitation he set off into the surrounding woods, although the teen made sure to remain on high alert. He didn't have time to dilly-dally, but the memory of the Forbidden Forest still haunted his thoughts.

For nearly half an hour, Draco stalked his way through the forest silently. Every single one of his senses were on full alert, and the natural sounds of the forest had him shifting every few seconds. The crack of a twig here, the crunch of a leaf there, they all echoed in his ears like the blasts of a cannon. There was just so much _life._ It was a stark contrast to the desert, where even the slightest sound could signify death, not a squirrel chewing on its nut. His instincts were going haywire out here.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of torture, Draco heard something that instantly calmed him. A deep roar shook the trees, and as peace descended over him, Draco allowed himself a smile. Now _this_ was something he could do. No more dodging birds and ducking rodents. The teen took off running, relishing the cold caress of the wind as it whipped past him. This was going to be _fun._

When Draco burst out of the trees and beheld the scene before him, he froze, struck speechless. There was not, as he had expected, an ursa waiting to be slaughtered, even as it slavered for his flesh. Instead, Draco found himself faced with dozens of the damned things, huge and hulking as they growled ferociously. They weren't growling at him, though. No, the most surprising thing about the scene Draco found himself staring at was that the Grimm weren't alone. Deep in the ranks of hungry Grimm, _something_ was moving, something dark and swift that cut through the beasts like a scythe through wheat. Draco could do nothing but watch as whoever it was slid under a heavy blow as if it were nothing more than a stiff wind before lashing out, a swift flash the only Draco could see before the Grimm went flying backwards, a smoking hole in its chest.

It took Draco only a moment to realize he was standing still, but even that was too much, he realized in horror, as whoever was in the midst of the Grimm horde was suddenly covered in several of the monsters, all clawing and tearing at him with a sickening savagery. Draco had barely registered that fact before he was moving, _Lily Storm_ cutting through the air with a whistle to bite deep into the nearest Grimm. He didn't stop there, spinning past and tearing his weapon out of the dark flesh to leave a bright red slash. He was into the horde then, and the teen didn't waste any time in breaking the staff part of his weapon into its more versatile chained-shotguns version. A feral grin came over his face as he sidestepped the first swipe that came at him before slapping it away with a short barrage of fire.

Draco was a blur as he tore through the grim, perfectly in his element. He had trained to fight when surrounded, and he slipped through the batting paws and tearing fangs with the ease of a dancer on an empty stage, even as he unleashed a veritable storm of blade and bullet upon the beasts around him. With every step and every kill, he grew closer to the other man, still fighting desperately in the center of the horde. Or at least, it seemed desperate, until Draco finally got a good look at him.

Green eyes blazed with the fire of battle from underneath a messy mane of dark hair, and Draco found his breath catching in his throat as he watched the mysterious warrior fight. Moving with an easy lethality that sent shivers down Draco's spine, he was a whirlwind of death as he tore through the surrounding Grimm. Swift as the cutting wind he ducked a heavy black paw, before twisting to press the bladed bow in his hands against its owners skull, a glowing white arrow that crackled with power already nocked and drawn tight. He released the bolt, blasting a ragged hole in his target, and Draco's eyes widened in surprise at the damage wrought. Before the Grimm had even faded, however, the other student was moving again, rolling under a pouncing Ursa, only to lay out flat underneath it. Draco drew a harsh breath to warn him, The action nearly costing him as he was forced to block a strike that came far too close, but it turned out to be unneeded. When Draco hadn't been looking, the green-eyed stranger had drawn three more arrows, and the weight of their power hung heavy in the air as he grinned at the dark form falling down upon him. A twitch of his fingers released the arrows, and their force reversed the Ursa's direction. In a flash the warrior was up, following its path as he launched himself into the air, and with a short swipe, severed the beast's head mid-air.

As he landed, Draco's sight of him was once more obscured by the horde, and time-which had seemed to stand still as he watched-sped up once again, the chaotic tide of battle sweeping him away from any thought of the dark-haired warrior. Slowly, he fell into a steady rhythm as he fought, and just as he began to tire the space he spun away from one foe, only to find the space he had another to occupy empty. The realization brought him to a sudden halt In an instant his senses, dulled and focused by the pounding of blood through his veins and the sounds of battle around him, expanded, and Draco found himself in an unexpected situation. Around him, the few Grimm left alive by their twin crusade were _running._ Keening in fear, they disappeared back into the leafy cover of the forest, and as Draco saw watched them go, he suddenly found himself sighing with relief. That had been… a lot of Grimm.

Now that there was no enemy in sight, Draco turned to observe his new companion, who was leaning heavily against his weapon. He oozed power and lethality, from the dark leather coat and woolen shirt stretched tight over rippling muscles to the sin-black hair that framed his rugged face. Blazing green eyes met Draco's own silver ones, and he found himself shivering at their animal ferocity and slit pupils. This man was a warrior, through and through, and for just a moment Draco found himself measuring up to him. The thought was dismissed a moment later however, as the stranger rose from his slouched position to step closer, moving his considerable height and girth with all the grace of a lion. His eyes seemed to glow with a predatory sheen as he stopped just a few feet away, head tilted down to meet Draco's lower ones. There was something far too feral in that feline gaze for Draco to even consider fighting, but before he could figure out what, it seemed to disappear as instead of the growl he almost feared, a wide grin split the stranger's face.

"Well, that was fun. Want to go for another round?" Draco raised an eyebrow at the man, confusion sweeping thorugh him. They had just barely survived a massive horde of Grimm, and this guy wanted to do it again? _Oum, please tell me I didn't just get partnered with an idiot._

"I'm sorry, I'd rather not. I happen to be allergic to death." He replied caustically, taking a discrete step back. Draco didn't know why, but being near this man gave him an odd sense of discomfort. His face, too, was strangely familiar, but Draco couldn't quite place it. Luckily, the stranger didn't even seem to notice as he let out a low chuckle.

"Most people are. But you have to admit, fighting a bunch of Grimm sure is one way to get the blood pumping." He grinned again, and even Draco found himself smiling a little. The stranger did have a point, even if it was suicidal and way too Gryffindor for his liking.

"I'm sure it is. Anyways, as we are partners now, it is only proper we introduce ourselves." Draco held out his hand, widening the smile he wore in what he hoped was a friendly manner. No need to get off to a bad start, after all. "Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. At your service." As the wrods left him, the stranger froze suddenly, and for a moment, Draco was afraid he had said something wrong. It had been quite awhile since he had spent any large amount of time in civilization, after all, and his manners were quite likely lacking. This worry was swept away a moment later, however, when the warrior before him suddenly threw his head back and roared with laughter, stunning the snake-faunus. What the hell?

"Oh, you have _got_ to be shitting me!" His laughter echoed throughout the the clearing, and against his will, Draco found himself stepping back cautiously, even as he allowed his hand to drop back to his side The other inching towards _Lily Storm_ where it was strapped to his back, placed there after the battle. Before he could get too far, however, the green-eyed warrior's laughter cut off suddenly and his head snapped down to freeze Draco once again with a vicious glare. Silently, he stepped closer until their chest were almost press together, and his eyes bore deep into Draco's as if he were dissecting the silver-eyed boy's soul. For several long seconds they stood there, Draco afraid to even breathe as he met the burning stare, defiant even in his confusion. If the stranger attacked, he wouldn't hesitate to defend himself.

"You're faunus," He finally breathed, and Draco's eyebrows shot up. What did that have to do with anything? Something, apparently, because the man suddenly grinned as he stepped back, looking Draco up and down with a new light of appraisal in his eyes. "Oh, this is too good. Way too good." He laughed again, and finally, something in Draco snapped. He didn't know who this person was, or what in the name of oum was so funny, but a Malfoy was never laughed at, no matter the world. Like lightning, he shot forward and grabbed the stranger by his collar, before shoving him into a tree.

"What the fuck do you think is so funny?" He hissed, blood boiling with fury. The volatile emotion surged even higher when the dark-haired warrior's grin refused to die, even as his hands grabbed Draco by the shoulders and shoved him off.

"I'm laughing at you," He replied, before his hand shot forward and grabbed Draco's throat. In a flash, he twisted, and suddenly Draco found _himself_ pinned, struggling against the other boy's iron grip. "I'm laughing at the fact that _you,_ the so-called _Pureblood,_ is one of us now. One of the _animals._ How does it feel, Draco, to be on the other side of all the hatred and bigotry? To have your very _blood_ spat upon?" Draco scrabbled at his throat as the stranger growled at him, a long dormant rage burning in his vibrant green eyes. A second later, however, he stopped as a sudden realisation came to him; he wasn't choking. He could hardly believe it, but as he met the warrior's eyes and saw pain mixed with the rage, he felt no pressure cutting off his air, despite the iron collar holding him in place. Then the words struck him, their true meaning filtering through, and his own eyes widened, blood freezing in his veins.

"How do you know about that?" He breathed, and his captor's smile widened into a feral grin.

"What, don't you recognize your childhood rival?" He asked, and before Draco could ask what the hell he was talking about, his free hand rose up to his forehead, brushing aside the dark bangs that hung nearly to his eyes. When Draco saw what was hidden underneath, his blood didn't just freeze; it shattered, sending shards of fear and surprise through his heart. There, faded and old, but still as clear as the day it was first carved there, was a scar, cut into the shape of a lightning bolt.

"Potter," He breathed, and the grin widened in recognition. A second later, the hand around his throat was gone, and he fell forward onto his knees, resisting the urge to hack and cough. He was a little sore, perhaps, but otherwise none the worse for wear. As he lifted his head to look up at the spectre from his past, however, he started reconsidering that stance. "How?"

"The Veil, as best as I can tell." Potter's response was surprisingly casual, and Draco frowned as the other boy leaned against another nearby tree. How did he do that, shifting from pissed off to perfectly calm, so easily? Draco shook the thought out of his head after a second of consideration, deeming it unimportant. They were still in the middle of an initiation, after all.

"Ah," He said, unsure of how to continue. His brows furrowed as he studied Potter, searching for any signs of the previous hostility, but there was nothing. The bloody Gryffindor was perfectly relaxed, still offering him that stupid smile. "So what now?" Potter cocked an eyebrow at his question, before snorting. Draco agreed with the sentiment. It had been a stupid thing to ask, but in all honesty, it was all he could think of at the moment. _What now, indeed._

"Now we finish our task. After that…" Potter's gaze sharpened on him once again, and Draco felt a flash of that fear once again, before shoving it down. The Gryffindor's eyes were just as vivid as before, and he had to stifle a shudder as he met had always been a bit dopey to Draco,, if foolishly brave. Now though, with the sheer power and lethality that he seemed to wear like a second skin... the man was terrifying. "Then we talk."

XXX

 **Okay, so i know it's been awhile, and for that I apologize sincerely. I have been slacking severely, and have no excuse, so heap any sort of blame you want on me. I deserve it.**

 **Alright, before I let you all go, I did want to apologize if Harry seemed a bit out of character in this chapter, and definitely if Draco's thoughts on him seemed surprising. I know I haven't really been able to portray Harry exactly how I've wanted to up till now, mainly because he hasn't actually fought before, and one of the major things I wanted to show was that he is very different when it comes to serious situations, such as battle of any kind. Also, mostly he's just been hanging around people he considers cute and innocent, like Ruby, so he's been reigning in a lot more of his harsher traits. As for Draco's perceptions of him… well, the last he remembers, Potter was a semi-competent fighter who got through more on luck and guts than anything. Now, Harry is a badass warrior who is probably about the level of Adam Taurus, or at least how I imagine him to be. Draco's going to be in a bit of shock at the revelation.**

 **Alright, I think that should be it for now, but if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don't be afraid to Review or PM me. Otherwise, I'll see ya'll later!**


	9. Chapter 5: Partners

The Emerald Forest surrounding Beacon academy was a quiet place, most days. The creatures who lived there had long since learned silence was a necessary requirement for survival with the creatures of Grimm. Cloaked in pitch-black fur and heavy plates of bone, these incarnations of hatred and darkness spawned fear everywhere they walked, and the whole of the forest was their domain. Thus, it was an odd sight for many of its inhabitants, both Grimm and otherwise, when a young girl with silver hair came skipping through the trees, singing brightly.

"Dee dum, a barrel of moonlit rum, dee day, the horse eats his hay…" The woman appeared almost ethereal as she traveled and sang, the decadence of her clothes painting an odd picture against the earthy tones of the forest. She bore all the grace of warrior-queen, tight leather curves met by the loose flowing robes of deep midnight blue. Small silver stones studded their length, shining in the dappled light like the million twinkling stars of a night sky. A stone cut into the likeness of a moon, her namesake, hung about her neck on a silver chain, dark and mysterious with its royal blue tint. Opaque glasses hid her eyes, blinding the girl, yet she moved with the lethal surety of a fey warrior, every step silent in her sapphire slippers.

Luna paused suddenly just as she was about to step over a small branch, her head cocking to the side curiously. A second later, she threw herself backwards, narrowly dodging the large scaled body that burst out of the underbrush, long silver fangs gleaming as they struck at where Luna had stood just a moment before. As Luna landed a mere few feet away, a small smile playing about her lips, the young girl reached into one of the many loose folds of her robes, producing a small metallic item. With a press of a button, there came the sound of metal scraping against metal,and slowly, it expanded, until the silver-haired woman was holding a battleaxe in her hands. Trimmed in blue and silver, the massive weapon made her look like a child as she fell back into a ready stance, blade's wicked edge gleaming in the sunlight. The king taijitu's beady red eyes met hers as she fell into a crouch, weapon held delicately over her shoulders in an unorthodox, but ready position.

They moved at the same time, streaks of black and blue lightning against the forest backdrop as they shot forward to clash with a titanic crash. The Taijitu's strike came in the form of a blindingly-quick lunge, gleaming white fangs shining as they were bared wide to swallow the girl whole. Luna, however, was ready for such a basic tactic, her hand twitching to throw the massive axe in her hands into a sharp underhanded twirl, the wide blade crushing the bone plate under the giant snake's jaw and throwing it high into the air. Without hesitation, Luna followed it, pushing aura through her legs to propel herself even higher than the large snake, a wild grin on her face as she brushed the treetops at the apex of her arc. The rush of battle, only a few seconds old, was already exhilarating, stealing her breath as her blood was set pumping. Technically unrelated she may be too Ruby and Yang, but Luna had inherited their love for action and battle all the same.

A simple twist of her wrists brought Her _Lunar Bloom_ to bear once more, eliciting a sickening crunch as the young girl buried it within the taijitu's skull mere seconds before it crashed back down to earth. Luna touched down a second later, rolling to shake off the excess momentum of her fall. She started to rise, ready to strike again and finish the beast off, when a flash of warning slipped through her mind. The next second, Luna threw herself to the side, narrowly dodging the great whitehead that slammed into the ground where she had just been.

Acting on instinct as yet another image appeared in her mind, the young Huntress span, twisting the Bloom to hold it in front of her. Even before she had completed the turn, the original black taijitu head struck, vicious fangs catching on the wide blade. For a second, as Luna struggled to hold back the beast, Luna's celestial blue eyes-freed from the confining visor to allow her future vision to wander- met the snake's unnaturally intelligent red ones. She could see the anger boiling in their crimson depths, a hatred so bright and powerful she almost felt sorry for the beast. To be so consumed by darkness must truly be a horrendous fate, but even as the beast hissed at her, Luna's face hardened. Grimm weren't human, and their concept of pity and fate were nonexistent. There was no point feeling sorry for the monster. All she could do was put it out of its misery.

There was a quiet click, and the long grip of Luna's axe shifted slightly to allow a small bump to appear under her index finger. Steeling her resolve, The huntress-in-training exhaled sharply, just as she pulled the trigger. The weapon in her hands kicked as a loud crack rang out, a split-second before the back of the taijitu's head exploded outwards, painting the forest floor red. Luna had little time to watch as it waved in the air for as few short seconds before crashing to the ground, as she was already whirling to meet the other head as it dove down at her, her blade already swinging. She froze, though, when she was met with a surprising sight.

Rather than the white head marked with blood red that Luna had expected to be just behind her, she instead found a wild mane of bushy hair between it and her, holding the beast back with a thick round shield. The blue-eyed girl gaped at the sight, surprised for the first time in a long time. Just a second before, she had been met with the sight of the taijitu crashing down upon her, fangs bared and dripping venom as they dug into her flesh from behind. Now, however, that vision cracked, replaced with the one before her. The blonde had little time to react to this new development, however, as she was once again astounded when the warrior before her _shoved_ the giant snake away, a feat even Luna would be hard pressed to accomplish. She watched as the girl-and yes, it was a girl, a very familiar one in fact- spun in a full circle, using the momentum to drive smaller war-axe in her free hand into its eye, a sickening squelch meeting the blow. The girl twitched, and suddenly her shield folded in on itself, shifting into a sub-machine gun, before she emptied a clip into the snake's other eye, a grim expression dominating her face.

The large Grimm reeled back from Hermione's assault, thrashing wildly as it struggled to comprehend the sudden darkness that had claimed it. A flash of warning shook Luna out of her reverie, as short as it had been, and as the heavy formed started to fall, the blonde threw herself forward, crashing into Hermione and dragging her to the ground. An instant later, a dull, heavy thud sounded, and the earth seemed to jump beneath them as the Grimm fell to the ground, In a flash, Luna released her fellow student and was back up, slashing viciously at the now-vulnerable serpent. .A few blows in, She achieved her goal, as the Grimm started to dissipate, a sure sign that it was dead.

An air of calm finally seemed to fall around them as Luna lowered her axe, breathing heavily from the exertion. With barely a thought, the girl pressed the catch to turn it back into a small rectangle of compressed metal, sliding it back into the hidden pocket within her robes. It was a short ritual, but one she had long since learned to recognize as both her senses _and_ semblance telling her that there was no more danger. The thought allowed her tense muscles to finally relax, her lungs to release their held breath, and her blood to calm slightly, though it still simmered with the heat of battle and adrenaline just under her skin. Sufficiently calmed, LUna turned to face her unexpected ally, only a single raised eyebrow betraying any of her surprise to find the bushy-haired Huntress-in-training with her own weapons nowhere to be found. With the short, earthy combat skirt and tight white blouse, there wasn't much space to hide even _one_ weapon, let alone two. Then again, it _was_ Hermione Granger. Perhaps she shouldn't be so shocked.

Silence reigned as the two girls locked eyes, either's features perfectly blank as they both assessed the other. They had spent a short time the previous night, catching up somewhat and refamiliarizing themselves after nearly sixteen years apart, but that had both been far too little time, and in a social setting rather than combat, to gain a real measure of the found themselves disappointed, unsurprisingly. Hermione was a bit taken aback to have witnessed Luna wield her heavy Lunar Bloom with such skill and dexterity, but in truth such an incongruous action was not all that unexpected when it came to her old friend, although it was perhaps a bit vicious for the normally kind and friendly girl. Likewise, the cool and calculating aura Hermione exuded, even with her simple but effective arsenal hidden away, brought back many memories for her blonde counterpart, both joyful and bittersweet.

After a long moment of staring at each other, Hermione finally broke the tension as she cracked a small smile, taking a short step closer to her friend. "Well, Luna, looks like we're partners now." She spoke with in a jovial tone, but Luna could hear the edge of nervousness in her voice, prompting the younger girl to return the smile.

"It would seem so, Hermione." She answered, nodding to allieve the other girl's concerns. Truth be told, she was a bit worried herself about how well they would mesh together as partners. While good friends in the wizarding world, Luna and Hermione had never been particularly close before, and sixteen years-a whole other lifetime, in fact-could change someone drastically. Still, it seemed they had managed to reach some sort of understanding with their exchange, as Hermione returned her nod, the corner of her lips quirking even further until they threatened to turn into a real smile. Without any other conversations necessary, the two girls turned as one into the direction they had both already determined was in the general vicinity of their destination, and started moving out. Whatever the case, they still had a job to do. Any problems they may have in the future, could be sorted out then.

XXX

So Potter. Have you found any others from our side of the veil? Or was all that stuff before just pulled out your ass?" Harry paused in his labors to cock his head sideways at Draco, careful not to upset his balance as he did so.

"Perhaps a few," Came his reply, a soft smirk crossing his face at Draco's answering groan. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh you know," Draco answered in a voice as dry as Vacuo. "I was getting kind of bored hanging off a fifty foot cliff by the tips of my fingers, and thought I'd make conversation." A small laugh escaped Harry, and he glanced down. They were indeed pressed up against the rough face of one of Vale's infamous mountains, with Aura and magic all that kept them from falling into the open void below.

"Snarky really isn't a good look on you." He replied, laughing again when Draco answered with an angry hiss.

"Shut up and keep climbing, Potter." The smirk on Harry's face widened, but he did as he was told, and soon enough they had reached their destination. It wasn't much, just a small rock outcropping barely big enough to hold the two as they dropped down, sighing with pleasure as they stretched out their worn muscles and allowed their Aura to soothe their pain. What interested Harry, however, was not the outcropping itself, an utterly unremarkable feature on the side of an utterly unremarkable cliff, but the small, cavelike entrance behind it.

"So what exactly are we here for again? Last I checked, we were searching for a _forest_ temple."Harry sighed before turning a glare on his companion, annoyance radiating off him.

"We are here _Malfoy_ , as you would know if you had been listening the first time I explained it, because this cave is the entrance to a pretty big tunnel network, one path of which opens out at an old abandoned shrine I suspect to be the temple."The shorter of the two boys made a noise of surprise, before casting a curious eyebrow at Harry.

"And you would know this how?" He asked warily.

"The White Fang were using these tunnels up until about two years ago, and I kept tabs on them even after leaving." WIth that, he pushed aside a few cobwebs dangling in front of the cave entrance, likely accrued over the years of disuse, and stepped into the cave, leaving Draco behind to stare at his back. It took several seconds before the snake-faunus realized he was being left behind, and by the time he had hurried to catch up, Harry was silently laughing at the shocked expression he still wore.

" _You_ were a member of the White Fang?" awe and fear mixing in his voice. Draco, of course, had never had much to do with the organization, but he had heard a lot about it, especially since his recent reintroduction to normal society. It struck him as quite strange that Potter would have been part of a terror group. How on earth had that happened.

"I was, up until about three years ago. In fact, I'm quite good friends with the daughter of their old leader, although she thinks I'm dead at the moment." Draco paused for a moment, contemplating that thought, before he just had to ask.

"How'd that happen?" Harry grinned, green eyes glinting in the light of the small ball of arcane energy he had summoned.

"I dropped a building on myself. Actually, she was the one person I _didn't_ want to think I was dead. Funny how things work out."

"Huh." Was Draco's only reply to that, backing off when he heard the pain in Harry's voice. The two men fell silent as they continued to stalk through the tunnels, an uncomfortable quiet settling around them.

The tunnels themselves were odd places, Draco mused as they walked. The light from Harry's orb only extended out a few feet, failing to penetrate the thick darkness around them, but what little he could see was a mess, and the silver-eyed warrior found himself doubting the sanity of _anybody_ willing to live in it. Cobwebs were thick in the corners, wet, sticky stuff that threatened to catch hold every time one of his boots brushed it. Scattered about, as well, were the bones and other remains of all sorts of small animals, such as rats and squirrels, with a few larger creatures mixed in. Draco and Harry's steps were silent, but there seemed to be an odd clicking sound that echoed in the long passageways, sending shivers down Draco's spine. Finally, after a while of listening to it gradually grow louder and louder, Draco decided to distract himself, turning to Harry.

"So if you knew where the temple was, why couldn't we just go overground?" He asked, hoping the edge of fear hadn't slipped into his voice. The proud snake-faunus would never admit it, but that clicking noise was grating on his nerves with every beat, and the hair on the back of his neck was standing on edge. Logically, of course, he knew that it was likely just some loose bone caught in a web and knocking against the stone, but still. It was creepy.

"I don't make a habit of mapping out the 'Grimm' part in 'Grimm filled forest', Malfoy." HArry answered with a roll of his eyes, And Draco glared, forgetting about the clicking for a moment in his anger.

"Yeah, says the guy who was surrounded by them in the first few minutes of his initiation." Came his retort.

"Hey, it's not my fault that my soul radiates darkness!" The larger Hunter complained, the light around them wavering as he threw up his hands in annoyance.

"Of course it is- wait what did you say?" Draco stared at his companion, face blank and eyes wide with shock. Did he just hear that right? Harry sighed, lowering his hands to run them through his hair in aggravation, before throwing Draco a droll stare.

"I had the soul of a megalomaniac sociopath living in my head for seventeen years, remember? A good deal of Voldemort's nastiness seeped in, and now I'm like a walking buffet for any Grimm within a two-mile radius." Draco froze as the meaning of Harry's words slammed into him like a truck. Quick as a viper, his hand shot out to grab the other's shoulder, throwing him into a wall with all his strength. A second later he was there as well, hand crackling with arcane energy as he held it mere inches away from Potter's face.

"Tell me why I shouldn't end you now, Potter." He growled, voice lowered into a near-hiss by the rage coursing through 's eyes widened as he felt the power vibrating in Draco's hand, vicious and angry. The boy had learned from before, it seemed. If Draco had been attempting to hold him down with sheer force instead, Harry probably would have killed him instantly, as even now he could feel the ancient instincts he fought constantly to keep suppressed rising up inside, eager for blood and conquest.

"It's gone, Draco. The Horcrux left nothing in me except a beacon for Grimm." He said, voice low and placating as he could already feel the temperature rising around them slightly. He doubted Draco could feel it yet, consumed by anger and hatred as he was at the moment, but Harry needed to end this _now,_ before someone got hurt.

"Why should I believe you?" Draco asked, silver eyes hard as they bore into Harry's emerald ones, and Harry was forced to suppress a groan, even as he fought the urge to tear out the other man's throat. He wasn't going to get anywhere like this, and they didn't have the time to stand here and argue with Harry basically at gunpoint. The ravenette focused, meeting Draco's stare point for point, gathered his magic, and spoke, a single word heavy with power and intent.

" _Legilimens._ " The snake-faunus stiffened as the memories of a hundred conversations forced their way into his head. He replayed, over and over, the explanations a dozen different aura doctors had given Harry for what effect the foreign soul of Voldemort had on him. The lion was right, it seemed. All the Horcrux had done was cling to the edge's of his aura, with only slightly minute bits of the hatred and anger slipping into color it. At worst, it would have given Potter a slightly enhanced temper, which Draco had already been perfectly aware of.

He stumbled back as Harry turned his head slightly, breaking the mental connection between them with a silent down as his head swam with the new information ingraining itself inside him, Draco groaned, glaring back up at Harry.

" _Never_ do that again, Potter." He growled in a voice stretched by pain, and Harry shrugged, though the shorter of the two could see worry in his eyes as he looked down at Draco.

"It was the easiest way to answer." Harry replied, his own voice carrying an odd edge to it. Draco groaned again, turning a baleful glare on him.

"Still doesn't make it any less painful."

"Of course not, I just shoved hundreds of hours of long, boring conversations on the mechanics of souls into your brain. Be glad you didn't have to sit through it the traditional way." Somehow, Draco couldn't help but laugh at that, and as he leaned back to press his head against the wall behind him, the pain slowly started to fade, forgotten in his mirth. When he opened his eyes though, the last echoes of his chuckling dying away in the distance, he froze again, fear icing through him, As a new sound started echoing in its place. Or rather, it continued echoing, and his attention was finally brought back to it now that they had a moment of piece.

"Potter." The word was a bare whisper, quiet as a falling leaf and sharper than the claws of a beowulf, but Harry's feline ears pricked on top of his head, and his eyes narrowed to focus on Draco where he sat. as he saw the fear etched across his companion's face, Harry's brow furrowed, but it smoothened out in understanding as his ears picked up another sound, one which only now struck him as familiar. His face blanked as memories swarmed his mind, images of a dark forest and ancient blue car flashing just behind his eyes.

"Please tell me you don't see eight eyes."

"I don't see eight eyes." Harry sighed at the blaise answer. This was not going to end well.

"You just lied, didn't you?"

"What do you think, Potter?"

"Well… fuck."

XXX

 **Hello, I'm baaaaaaaack! Please don't kill me.**

 **Anyways, Yes, I'm back, although I'm not quite sure how long it's been, so I don't know how much I should apologize for the late return. Otherwise, I don't really have anything to say on this story, funnily enough. If you do, however, have the time, I would suggest going to read the Author's note on my new story Brotherhood: Bound By Pain. It has some information in it that you might want to know, but I'm too lazy to write out again. So, I guess I'll see you all later, and don't forget to Review!**


	10. Chapter 6: The Forest Temple

Yang Xiaolong liked to think she was a somewhat rational person. Living with the rampant insanity that was her uncle Qrow, sisters Luna and Ruby, and her father pretty much demanded the ability to keep your cool when things start to go… wonky. Sadly, however, sixteen years of experience didn't seem enough to prepare her temper for Beacon.

"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Somehow, Yang found herself unable to answer the girl beside her, too busy gaping at where said sister was now sitting in a tree, shaking her head dazedly.

"I…" Yang's grasp for an explanation was suddenly interrupted by the roars of an ursa. Yang and her partner Blake turned to look, and their eyes widened when they saw some sort of pink… thing riding on its back. As the two girls watched incredulously, the ursa crashed to the ground, eliciting a sad "Awww… I broke it!" from its rider. They barely had time to register the fact that said rider was probably a student, the orange haired girl looking about their age, before another student, this time a guy in tight green robes and possessing dark hair with a pink highlight, came stumbling into the wide clearing from behind her, panting heavily.

"Nora… please don't ever do that again." rather than respond to her partner's desperate plea, the girl moved with blinding speed to pick up one of the relics within the temple ruins, dancing and singing. Only after she was called back, sending a sheepish grin at Yang and her partner, who were left gaping, did Blake speak again.

"Did that girl just ride in on an ursa?" Yang once again opened her mouth to answer, despite already wallowing in the futility of such a gesture, when, almost unsurprisingly, something else happened. From the opposite edge of the clearing, another young girl, this time with hair the color of autumn leaves and wielding a spear and shield came charging in, the pincers of a massive scorpion-like Grimm snapping through the air just inches behind. Even as she tried to process this new development, she was temporarily distracted by her sister Ruby, who had finally made her way to their side.

"Yang!"

"Ruby!" The two sisters moved to slap a high five, ecstatic to see each other, before they were rather suddenly cut off by the Grimm rider, appearing in between them.

"Nora!" As Yang found herself thrown to the ground. She felt something catch in her chest, a small blossom of heat. Before she could react to it, however, she found herself distracted by her partner's next words, although she already knew what they would be.

"Did she run all the way here with a Deathstalker on her tail?" It wasn't really Blake's fault, Yang knew. In fact, the other girl was probably just as incredulous as she was, if only showing it in a different way. But somehow, the blonde couldn't find it in herself to care. Suddenly the small heat grew, bursting into a raging firestorm within her, and she opened her mouth yet again…

"We're almost there- Fuck!" And again she was cut off as she whirled to see two young men, one with messy dark hair and green eyes that practically glowed in the shadows of the temple and his pale blonde companion, come flying out of a small cave opening behind the ruins, eight glowing red eyes glaring out of the darkness behind them. The two boys bounced and rolled with surprising dexterity, before coming to a skidding halt on their knees just a few yards away from Yang, Blake, Nora, Ruby, and Ren.

"Shoot it!" The blonde yelled, earning an irritated glare from his partner.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Harry, As Yang realized that was exactly who this was, snapped back even as he drew the massive sword hanging off his back. In an instant, the weapon had transformed into an equally massive bow, and the raven-haired warrior was drawing it back, a blazing arrow of white light nocked and ready. There was half a second of sharp silence, blessed peace descending as everyone turned to watch this latest development in awe, before he released a harsh breath, and the bolt of energy flew. For just a moment, Yang thought the guy had missed, his shot going way wide and up, until it struck the rock face. There was a loud rumble, the very air shaking with ear-shattering force, and a moment later, the entrance to the tunnel collapsed in a deafening cascade of stone.

For a short moment, all Yang could do was look back and forth between the archer and his work, rage forgotten in the shock. How on Remnant had he managed to do that? She opened her mouth to ask that very question…

"You left meeee!" From above fell another easily recognizable form, the white-haired Schnee heiress, a dangerous scowl on her face as she glared at Ruby, and Yang's mouth snapped shut.

"I told you to jump!" Came the exasperated reply, and Yang almost giggled despite her surroundings. Ruby was so cute when she got annoyed. The giggle was replaced with a sympathetic "oooh," however, when a second later Jaune, who had apparently just recovered from his own unpleasant experience with the deathstalker, made a rather foolish attempt to save the heiress, resulting in a short stint as her body pillow.

"My hero."

"My back…. Grk." Yang didn't even try to respond, even when the redhead who had apparently still been running from the deathstalker-Yang had almost forgotten about her- landed in front of them with a sickening crunch. She was just… done. Completely, and utterly, done.

"Great, the gang's all here. Now we can die together." Yang winced at the blonde's boy's sarcastic drawl, but didn't even try to correct him. Ruby, however, grinned, her eyes trained on the deathstalker.

"Not if I can help it." Yang reached out to stop the younger girl, a sudden note of panic in her thoughts as she realized what her sister was about to do, but was just a second too late as the cloth of Ruby's hood slipped through her grasp. She was forced to watch helplessly as rushed towards the deathstalker before getting thrown back with an almost lazy swipe of the beast's claw.

"Ruby!" She cried out, before launching herself towards her sister. She ran, faster than she'd ever run before, heart racing in a blind panic, but it wasn't enough. Long before she could get anywhere near ruby, lying in the middle of the field and groaning in pain, Yang was suddenly thrown backwards by a burst of wind. She landed with a grunt, eyes snapping closed for a fraction of a second as pain blossomed in her back, but she couldn't lie still. One of her sisters was in danger, and Yang would be damned if she ever allowed Ruby or Luna to come to harm. She shoved the pain away, swamping it with aura to heal the surface damage, and pushed herself up onto her elbows. That turned out uot be a mistake, as all it did was give her a perfect view of the Nevermore, nearly forgotten as it circled the skies above them, unleashing a storm of massive razor-sharp feathers on Ruby.

Yang's heart was in her throat as she watched the hail of death crash down, certain she had failed in her duties just like that time so many years before. Just as the tears were welling in her eyes, however, a tight ball of anger and shame coiling in her heart, she realized that somehow, Ruby was unharmed. Only one of the deadly feathers had struck near her, and all it did was pierce through her iconic red hood, pinning the girl to the ground. The sudden realization elation that surged through her at the sight was short lived, however, as suddenly a shadow descended over Ruby, who was struggling to free herself.

'Ruby, watch out!" Her shout was meaningless, the words whisked away on the wind as Ruby froze in shock and fear, staring up at the looming Deathstalker. Again, Yang felt fear grip her as she watched in horror. There would be no escaping this time. Her little sister was going to die.

"No." The word, spoken so quietly it was like a ghostly whisper as it slithered into Yang's ear, sent her eyes wide. In a flash, everything changed. One moment, the blonde was watching the Deathstalker's claws and stinger descend on Ruby, the younger girl's death certain, and the next the three deadly appendages were suddenly still, quivering as they struggled against an unexpected resistance. Standing over Ruby, in a space that had been empty the previous second, were two girls, both of whom Yang recognized. Luna, wearing an expression of such fury that even Yang shivered at the sight of it, was crouched between the claws, the pole of her long axe lodged between them. Above her stood the bushy haired girl from the night before, Hermione if Yang remembered correctly, both hands bracing a round buckler against the glowing stinger. For a moment, it was if time stood still, the two girls, and impenetrable wall of defence as they held back the monster.

"Away!" Yang was snapped out of her awe by Luna's usually melodic voice, harsh with anger and the edge of combat. The blonde girl gave a slight shove, shifting her opponent backwards slightly, before diving to the side. Her partner hesitated for a fraction of a second, doubt flickering across her features, before following suit. For as second, Yang wanted to cry out. Why was Luna abandoning Ruby? The question rang through her mind and rolled to the tip of her tongue, but before she could voice it, Yang caught a flash of white out of the corner of her as the deathstalker's stinger came down again, accompanied by a cry of fury and triumph from the beast as it finally struck at its prey, there was a loud crackling sound, like like ice melting, and before Yan could truly register what was happening, the Schnee girl slid into place beside Ruby, slamming her sword into the ground. WIth a flash of dust, the deathstalker's claw was caught in what appeared to be a giant glacier, glistening in the fading sunlight.

It took Yang a few seconds to pick herself up, aura having finally healed the majority of her damage, but as soon as she was able the golden blonde rushed Ruby, grabbing her into a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh Ruby, you scared the shit out of me! Don't ever do that again!" It was only after several long seconds and a desperate gasp for air from Ruby that Yang let go, setting her sister back down with one final squeeze. As the rest of the group started gathering, she turned to Luna, standing just off to the side.

"You know, it's not like you to be late to the party." She said, a lightly teasing lilt to her voice. From Luna's serene smile, however, she knew that her sister understood what she couldn't say with words.

"I am never late, nor am I early. I arrive precisely when I mean to." was her answer, and a hint of laughter rang in Yang's ears. Yang smiled gratefully, the last dregs of fear fading at the sound. Both Ruby and Luna were alive and well, and that was all she cared about.

XXX

"Potter, when this is over, I'm going to kill you."Draco growled as he ducked a scything leg from the Arachne Grimm, before continuing moment he and his partner had claimed their relics, a black rook piece that gleamed in the dying light, their impromptu rockslide burial of the creature had practically exploded, sending the entire eclectic group of students scattering from the ruins. Now, with three oversized Grimm chasing them into a massive crumbling ruin with no signs of stopping anytime soon, the blonde couldn't help but place the blame on his partner.

"It's not my fault!" The lion faunus yelled back, rolling under his own arachne leg and sending a wild shot backwards. The Draco winced as the glowing bolt of energy burst against the monster's armor plates, leaving behind a perfectly unscathed white expanse. "How was I supposed to know there was a giant Arachne in there?"

"That place was abandoned for what, two, three years? Did you think it was just gathering dust!?" Draco felt a surge of satisfaction as he caught the flicker of doubt on Potter's face from the corner of his eye. The dark-haired man knew he was right.

"Boys, now is really not the time to be having this discussion." Any further comments the two boys may have had were cut off as Granger landed between them, face hard and tangled mane of brown hair blowing in the wind of their passage. Draco's eyes widened minutely at her sudden appearance, before he was forced to throw himself to the side, dodging a sudden lunge from the giant Grimm behind them. The girl beside him, however, stayed right where she was, raising her shield before her. With a sound like crashing boulders, the ancient Arachne slammed into her, claws and pincers scrabbling against the solid barrier as it tried to surge past Granger with all the strength of a speeding train. She held firm, however, a solid rock against the tide, and with a vicious shove, picked the beast up and threw it backwards. Draco watched in awe as the Grimm skidded, legs scrabbling to keep it from flipping over. The thing massive! How had Granger done that?

"We need to move now." Draco's attention was torn from the witch turned warrior, and his head snapped to the side to look at the new girl. He recognized her vaguely from his Hogwarts years, Looney Lovegood or something like that, but right now she wore a hard expression that seemed out of place on her soft face. "We're falling behind." Draco glanced up to see that they were indeed losing ground, the eight other students drawing away from them. With a grunt, he pushed himself up from his crouch, before setting off running again. Draco had no interest in being left behind with the three Grimm still chasing their tail.

It was at the ruins that things started to go horribly wrong. The front of their group had just started to cross the stone bridge, and when suddenly a hail of great black feathers crashed down in front of Draco, forcing him to veer to the side, rolling across rough ground as he tried to keep from being he came to a stop just at the lip of the cliffs, rising to a knee and watching with horror as the Nevermore chasing them crashed into the bridge, destroying it in a rain of ancient stone. He saw no more than that, however, as three familiar forms landed beside him, each diverted by the feathers as he had been. Behind them, however, came the more worryin concern. LIke a homing rocket, the Arachne followed the four ex-hogwarts students charging their position.

"Any ideas?" The blonde asked as he readied his weapons, although he was unsure who exactly he was asking. They were pressed up against a sheer drop with no way out and a giant, extremely deadly Grimm charging them. Draco was thus surprised when rather than being met with silence, he heard Potter speak up, a mischievous glimmer in the dark-haired boy's eyes.

"How are you with jumping?" Draco's eyes snapped to him, the cold silver clouded with confusion, but before he could ask, Potter sheathed his weapon, the massive blade disappearing as if it had never existed in the first place, and took a single step backwards. A silent scream caught in Draco's throat as he threw himself forward, eyes wide at the sight of his partner disappearing off the edge of the cliff.

No! For half a second, Draco couldn't believe what he had just seen. Potter had just… killed himself. Just like that. It was a hundred foot drop, at least, to the bottom of the ravine, and no amount of Aura could protect you from the blunt force trauma of such an impact. The fear and disbelief shattered a moment, later, however, as he felt a subtle shift to the air, the sharp edge of power coalescing around Potter. Then, without warning, the large man suddenly seemed to slow, as if the very air were dragging at his falling form to stop his breakneck descent. A second later, he touched down almost lightly, the only sign of force in his landing being twin puffs of dirt beneath his boots, so tiny Draco could barely see them.

Magic. The word slipped into his mind like a serpent, wriggling among his speeding thoughts. That was the only explanation. Draco knew, of course, that the other boy had retained his gifts just as Draco had, the arcane energy from his arrows more than adequate proof. In fact, had Draco not managed a very similar feat to what he had just witnessed only an hour before? Still, that had only been a short drop from a tree. Potter was absolutely insane for risking such a maneuver on this massive ravine, but as Draco looked back to the charging Grimm, he couldn't find it within himself to blame him.

"Come on." Draco said, earning surprised glances from the two girls still standing beside him as he stood. He paid them little attention beyond that, however. They could stay here and die, or follow. Draco had no illusion over which he would choose. Without hesitation, he took a step forward, then leaped, throwing himself into a spinning dive. Draco blinked at the sudden sensation of falling through the air, the wind rushing in his ear and his vest flapping about his body. Only a chance glimpse of the hard ground rushing up to meet him pulling his thoughts back to the present. With a frantic glee, he wrenched at the ever-present feel of magic, gatherinig a tight cloak about himself. The blonde struck the ground harder than his dark-haired compatriot, his bones shaking with the force of impact, but as he realized he was still alive, couldn't help but smile proudly. Becoming a blood splatter would have looked quite bad on his resume.

Draco glanced up as he heard two more thuds, smirking as Granger and Lovegood struggled to regain their balance. At least he had done better than them. The smug thought fled his mind a second later, howev er, as the ari was rent by a high keening sriek, and he was forced to throw himself backwards to avoid the shadow growing beneath him. There was a much louder impact, like the solid whumph of a dust bomb, Their Arachne friend came crashing to the earth right where the four teens had been half a second, Draco prayed that the stupid creature had broken its legs on impact, but that hope was dashed as it rose, seemingly none the worse for its impromptu diving lesson.

"That's not good." Draco sighed, falling into a ready stance. He paused, however, as Potter sent him an amused glance, a slight chuckle slipping from the green-eyed man's lips.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He said dryly, before turning to the Lovegood girl. "Luna, eyes." Draco raised an eyebrow at the sudden sharpness in Potter's voice, but didn't deign to comment. If the guy had a plan for dealing with this thing, he wouldn't complain.

The lovegood girl gave a short nod, before dropping back and slamming the axe-blade of her weapon into the ground. For a moment, Draco marveled at the weapon; She must be extraordinarily strong to wield it like that. He stopped a moment later, however, as the slip of a girl started firing. With unnerving accuracy, the high powered bullets of the sniper rifle slammed into the Arachne, every blast darkening one of its eight glowing eyes. Within seconds, the thing was blind, and Draco's own eyes widened as it let out a deafening shriek.

With little warning, the giant Grimm shot forward, mandibles clicking furiously as it sought out the one who had wounded it so. Draco reached for his Lily Storm Knowing before he could even grasp the weapon that he would be too late. He gasped a second lter, however, as in a flash of Brown, Granger appeared in front of the beast. The bushy-haired girl caught its bulk on her shield, once again proving the impossible as she strained against the tidal wave of pitch-black flesh. Moving on instinct, Draco shot forward, his weapon spinning into action to bat away the deadly claws which tried to reach around the barrier.

As the blonde defended his ally, Harry wasted no time in capitulating on the Arachne's distraction. Surging forward a few steps, he dropped to the ground, sliding between the legs of Hermione and Draco to land right underneath the blinded Grimm's thrashing hold of his weapon, still shifted into its bow form, in both hands, he twisted. With a quiet snap, the two edges came apart, and HArry suddenly held two gleaming short swords in his hands. Wincing as the Grimm's claws and legs scrabbled and bounced off his aura, he lashed out to either side of him, pinning the two front appendages as his blades bit through flesh and the stone underneath. Then, gathering magic in his palms, he weaved a solid bar of blazing energy between them, once again forging the weapon into a bow. Then, he pulled a small bag of glittering dust out of a hidden pocket, deep crimson and shocking yellow swirling as he struggled to keep it from spilling. Moving quickly with sharp, practiced motions, he poured the bag over the string, which glowed as the elemental properties infused into it. Then, a feral grin splitting his lips, the dark-haired warrior gathered his strength, and pulled.

The blazing spear of energy, crackling and snapping as fire and lightning danced up its length, burned in Harry's hands, but he kept hold as more and more power pooled into it. Finally, as he could feel the magic straining and threatening to shatter like spun glass, he let out a sigh, and released. The bolt, burning like a second sun, shot upwards, tearing through the soft Grimm flesh, slipping right through a crack in the monster's armor. Above him, the eleven other teens in the area gasped as the sky lit up, a great column of light splitting the falling darkness. As the Arachne faded away, however, death claiming its body, Harry smiled tightly. That had fucking hurt.

XXX

 **Alright, I'm back. Now, as most of you will have noticed, I just put this chapter up. It got fucked up though, so here it is again. I won't bother with recreating my AN, cause I don't have the time, but I do want to talk about something funny I realised a few nights ago. Now, for those of you who have seen season four, you know what's happening with Ozpin, right? Now think back to the night before initiation. Remember the book Blake was reading?**

 **...**

 **Yeah, fucking Rooster teeth. Three fucking seasons early. Anyways, see ya, and don't forget to review!**


	11. Chapter 7: Team HLHD

_Pain._ It was the first thing Harry felt, as he clawed his way back to consciousness. A sharp, biting sensation that covered his entire body, as if he had been swarmed by a nest of rapier wasps. For a moment, the huntsmen-in-training considered simply leaving his eyes closed and returning to sleep, if only to escape the searing pain. He pushed the thought away, however. Chances were someone would eventually force him awake, and that would be far more unpleasant.

"Fuck me." The first words out of Harry's mouth after he had cracked his eyes, were a curse, but honestly, he felt justified in that. It wasn't everyday he awoke to find Draco Malfoy leaning over him with a look of concern.

"You know, one would think you might show a bit more gratitude to the man who just saved you a week in the infirmary." Harry groaned at the sardonic comment and curl of pale lips, pushing himself up slightly to look around. They were still in the ravine where The twelve students had clashed with the three ancient Grimm. It had changed significantly from their arrival, however; Now, rubble was scattered haphazardly around, and the ruins which had been standing on the cliffside had crumbled almost entirely. He couldn't find any of the other students in their near vicinity either, but Draco didn't look worried, so he doubted they were too badly injured.

"What are you doing?" He asked brusquely, more to take his mind off the possible fates of Ruby, Hermione, or any of the others who had been with them. Draco frowned as he tried to push up more, shoving Harry back down with a solid palm.

"My semblance. Now sit still." Not wanting to interfere with an ability he knew nothing about, Harry nodded and froze, clenching his muscles tightly. His discipline was tested a moment later, however, when the pain still lingering sharpened suddenly. Where before it had been like a bad sunburn, he suddenly felt as if the entire front of his body had been plunged into a furnace, every inch a blazing torch. It lasted just a moment, but still he was forced to clench his teeth, biting the inside of his cheek. Any less and he would have cried out in pain. The feeling disappeared however, and the original pain along with it, leaving Harry feeling fresh as a newly-born babe. It was at that moment as well, that he realised his clothes were in tatters, excepting the trench coat he had treated for exposure to Dust effects. Before he had a chance to comment on that, however, a small, dark object slammed into his chest, leaving him breathless.

"Harry!" Instinctively, the lion-faunus's arms went around the small girl who was now practically sitting in his lap, hugging him tightly. A moment later, his brain caught up enough to recognize the red hair and cloak, designating her as Ruby. "Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"

"No Ruby. I am fine." Harry chuckled as he answered, amused at her actions. The tiny huntress-in-training shifted to stare up at him, and his laughter turned into a small smile as he saw the worry in her silver eyes. It had been a long time since someone looked at him like that, and the sight warmed his heart.

"Harry! Ruby!" The ravenette looked up to see the other nine students running up to them, with a variety of expressions. They ranged anywhere from relief to disinterest-feigned by Blake- though Ruby's sister Yang had an oddly strangled look on her face. In an instant, Ruby had shot up from her position, blushing a furious red as she glanced between the blonde and Yang. Right, his clothes. Chances were the older girl wouldn't want to see her little sister clinging to a guy who was practically shirtless.

"Hey guys," He said nonchalantly, trying his best to to show his own embarrassment. True, Harry had far more experience in such matters, but still. There was something utterly adorable and innocent about Ruby that made him feel self-conscious. Then again, Yang's face had turned from strangled to glaring furiously, and Harry was starting to wonder if he shouldn't be making a break for it. "You guys all right? What took so long?"

"We had to lead the others down." Answered Hermione, looking at him with her own measure of concern. She didn't appear to be in too bad shape for herself, just a few scrapes and bruises that would likely disappear in a matter of hours thanks to her aura. The others, as well, were in similar shape. "Are feeling alright?" Harry rolled his eyes at the question. Why did people keep asking that?

"Fine." He said, rolling his shoulders as an example and standing up. "Why shouldn't I be?" The question, understandably confused, was met with expressions of shock by everyone except Draco, who was busy dusting himself off as he rose.

"You were like a fried pancake!" The orange-haired girl, whose name Harry didn't quite remember, cried out suddenly, giving him a blinding smile that was completely at odds with her statement. The dark-haired boy beside her nodded solemnly.

"Your injured state left quite a bit to be desired." Harry raised an eyebrow at the pair, looking between them. Somehow, the image made little sense, but, remembering his own lives and the strange people he had met throughout their courses, decided to let it go. Instead, he turned to Luna for a more coherent answer; and what a strange statement that was to say.

"You were burnt." The silvery-haired girl replied, blue eyes glimmering with amusement. Whatever that attack was lit the sky better than a fireworks display and you were right in the middle of it." Harry frowned at the explanation, looking down at himself. He appeared perfectly normal, if a bit pink in certain areas.

"Your friend stayed to heal you." Came another voice, and Harry's eyes snapped up to look at the speaker. She was another red-head, taller and more mature than Ruby, and he had to stifle a shudder as he was reminded of another girl, flashes of smoky eyes and a feral grin slipping through his mind. He shook the thoughts away, however, focusing on the unfamiliar green of her eyes.

"Right," he said, glancing back at Draco, who who cocked an eyebrow at him challengingly. "I don't think we were introduced." Harry said finally, looking around and including most of the group in the statement. A few of their eyes widened at the sudden shift in topic.

"Er, I'm Pyrrha." The unknown redhead answered first, smiling shyly. "It was an honour to fight with you."

"I'm Nora, and this is Renny!" The ginger yelled, grabbing her friend in a headlock as she gave the group a bright smile. "But most people just call him Ren."

"Weiss Schnee." Harry's eyebrows shot up as he noticed that the white-haired heiress was indeed in the group, glaring at him haughtily. The lion-faunus winced at the sight. He should probably apologize at some point.

"Blake," was his old friend's only contribution, though Harry caught the slightest quirk of her lips as he eyes slid over him.

"I'm, uh, Jaune. Jaune arc." The sunshine blond who had been hiding at the back of the group quietly offered, rubbing the back of his neck. "That was pretty cool what you did back there." The entire group chuckled at the comment, and Harry gave the kid a nod in rest of the group, including all the Hogwarts alumni, Ruby, Luna, and Yang, all introduced themselves quickly.

"So what now?" Blake asked, looking to raven-haired boy smiled at her cheeky way of talking to him without seeming to familiar, and he could see that her own eyes shone with humor.

"Now," He said, looking around at the destruction around them. "Now we get the hell out of here."

XXX

"Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Luna Branwen. The four of you retrieved the black rook pieces. From this day forward, You will be known as… Team HLHD(Heliod), led by Harry Potter." The announcement from Ozpin was met with a round of applause, but Ruby ignored that, not waiting to rocket on stage and hug Harry-who was thankfully clad in non-destroyed clothes once again- squealing with joy.

"Oh my Dust, Harry! You're a leader too!" She yelled excitedly. It was amazing. Ozpin had made her team leader, and now Harry was too! Of course, it was only right that her new friend get the job. He was too strong not to.

"Yeah, Ruby, I'm leader. Now could you let go of me before your sisters strangle me with their eyes?"The tiny huntress-in-training paused, glancing back to where her team was. They had followed her, and Yang's eyes were indeed glowing their angry red, an sure sign that she was about to punch something really hard. A quick look also confirmed that Luna didn't appear happy either, though her eyes were once again hidden by that ugly visor now that they were back among the crowds.

"Oh. Right." She said letting Harry go like he was a poisonous snake and backing away as her face started glowing bright red. She had no idea why she was acting so clingy, it was just… Well, Harry was big and strong, like her dad and uncle, and every time she went near him, she felt safe. Not to mention, he was her first friend here at Beacon, and she wanted to make sure she didn't lose him. Thankfully, The Huntsman-in-training didn't seem to mind or notice her reactions, smiled softly and reaching up a hand to ruffle her hair.

"Don't worry about it, little one. It's understandable to be excited. I just prefer having my head where it is." Ruby nodded vigorously to this. She liked it where it was too.

"Hey there, folks," Ruby jumped as Yang practically appeared right next to her, giving Harry a rather strained smile. "Glad to see you guys made it. And congratulations on being leader." The ravenette smiled and nodded at her, but Ruby could see the laughter in his green eyes as Yang threw an arm around Ruby and drew her protectively closer.

"The same to you." He said politely, before glancing at a clock on a nearby wall. "Well, I would love to stay and chat, but it looks like we're all exhausted." He gave the entirety of team RWBY a nod, before walking past them with his own team following closely behind. Ruby was disappointed, at first, before she took a close look at the clock herself.

"Holy chocolate chips, it's almost midnight!"

XXX

"Ozpin!" The headmaster looked up from his desk to observe as Glynda Goodwitch came storming into his office, matronly wrath unsettling the very stones in her wake. Unconsciously, he grimaced at the sight. It was not often he saw his deputy in such a tizzy. WIthout thought he dropped a hand down to hang loosely by his side, and the expression eased as he felt a wet nose poking at it. At least one of his admittedly few friends wasn't angry.

"Yes Glynda. Has something upset you?" The steel-haired man leaned back in his seat as he asked his question, looking over his glasses at the blond in an attempt at instilling some sort of calm. It didn't work, and she slammed her hands down onto the desk with surprising strength, cracking it.

"You know damn well what I'm angry about Ozpin. What are you thinking with these team assignments." For a short second the man merely watched his deputy, taking a short sip of coffee. Only once he had finished swallowing did his expression change, a light quirking of his lips.

"I would have thought that was self-explanatory. The pairs who claimed matching relics formed a team." His smile, it appeared, only angered the woman more, for her eyes narrowed, and she straightened, back going stiff as an iron.

"That is _not_ what I meant. My concern, _headmaster,_ is your choices for leadership. Three of them, specifically." Ozpin's lips almost quirked again, but he managed to hold the expression down. It would not do to anger the woman too much; he had seen the kind of things she could do with that riding crop, and bore no desire to be subject to them.

"Am I to assume you mean Ms. Rose, and Misters Arc and Potter?" After all, they were the only oddities in his selections this year. Still, Ozpin was distracted momentarily from Glynda's short nod as the fur clad head which had started to rub against his hands paused, a slight brushing telling him a pair of ears were perking. How interesting.

"Exactly." Glynda bit out, still glaring at the utterly nonchalant Headmaster. "Need I explain my issues, or are you going to act all mysterious about it like always?" Ozpin smiled. He knew, of course, that his demeanor had long been a source of exasperation for many people, especially those who worked closely with him. Regardless, he gestured to the empty seat on the deputy's side of the desk, one eyebrow raising in challenge.

"Please." Was his only response, but with greatly apparent reluctance, the blonde woman sat, though her green eyes remained angry and trained directly on his own.

"Where do I even begin?" She started, finally looking away to glance down at his desk. By small chance, the three particular cases she was questioning were spread out on his desk already, though most would simply call it preparedness. After knowing someone as long as he had been friends with Glynda, one learned to expect certain actions. Neither Ms. Rose or Mr. Arc are near enough experienced in combat to even be here at Beacon, let alone ready for a leadership position. Rose, I let slide when you first recruited her because of her family and evident skill, but Mr. Arc… if I didn't know better I'd say he's barely held a weapon before, let alone trained with it." Ozpin nodded along, but deep within his mind he was almost laughing. Her complaints were almost word-for-word how he had imagined them.

"And Mr. Potter?" He asked, despite knowing how she would answer.

"Do I need to say it?" Glynda asked disdainfully, sparing a few seconds of glaring at the picture of the dark-haired , Ozpin's attention was drawn away by the shifting fur against his hand, but he managed to offer a stern nod and earning a heavy sigh. "The man is a well-known member of the White Fang. I find it quite disconcerting that you would allow one of the terrorists we have been fighting nearly nonstop for years almost complete access to the school." Despite having expected her words, Ozpin couldn't stop his lips from twisting into a grimace. She was right. It was a gamble on his part, as was the acceptance of young Miss Belladonna-whom Glynda was quite unaware of- but one which he had happily taken.

"Mr. Potter left the organization well over three years ago, and in quite a spectacular fashion, I might add. The reports indicated that none of the White Fang strikeforce escaped that day."

"SO he is a murderer as well?" Glynda riposted sharply, and Ozpin cocked an eyebrow at her in response.

"I seem to recall both of us having taken similar action in the past."

"They are meant to be better than us!" Finally, Glynda cracked, jumping up once again and slamming the desk as she yelled, rage blazing in her eye. The splits in the stone widened from the force, and Ozpin glanced at them listlessly. He would need to get those fixed. Perhaps if this conversation went as planned, he could ask Glynda herself to clean up her mess.

"Two hundred and thirteen." He said quietly, cold green eyes returning to rest upon Glynda.

"What?" She asked, anger turning to confusion.

"Two hundred and thirteen. That is how many lives Mr. Potter saved when he brought that building down, in exchange for ten of the most vicious and bloodthirsty criminals to ever walk through Vale's streets. If that is not _better_ , Glynda, then I don't know what is." The blonde woman was stunned, gaping at him with wide eyes. As he waited for the words to process, Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, while the other hand grasped a tuft of soft fur lightly, drawing his fingers through it.

"You are right." Glynda, regaining her balance finally said, lowering herself quietly into the seat once again. "But that does not change the matters of Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc."

"It does not." Ozpin admitted, sitting back in his chair. He had not even realized how tense he was. "But it was Ms Rose's plan which defeated the Nevermore, just as Potter gave the commands against the Arachne, when everyone around them froze."

"Not to mention her silver eyes." Glynda's voice was hard, but there was a hint of defeat in them, and Ozpin found it sufficient to simply hum in response. "And Arc?" For once, Ozpin allowed the smile to slip onto his face without resistance, a quiet but proud thing.

"Why, Glynda, I do think you just answered yourself." The deputy's eyes narrowed in confusion, her brow furrowing, before a spark of recognition seemed to flash within them, and they widened.

"You cannot mean-? But his records stated he was from here in Vale!"

"Mmm, so they did." Was Ozpin's, answer, and he took another sip to hide the widening of his smile as annoyance appeared on Glynda's face. "But then, I have long since stopped listening to falsified records." _One, two,-_ The Headmaster's patience was rewarded when, as the meaning of his words finally reached her brain, Glynda gasped, rocking back so hard the chair she sat in nearly fell over.

"So he's a fraud!" Ozpin quirked an eyebrow at the turn of phrase, even though it was technically true. It _was_ surprising, however, to hear such coming from Glynda. 'I knew it!"

"I prefer to say a young man with great potential and both the courage and strength of will to achieve it." At his words, still perfectly calm, Glynda returned to glaring at him, prompting yet another tiny smile to be hidden behind the mug of coffee.

"Ozpin, I have known you for a long time. Not once, however, have I ever thought you would be so callous as to throw an untrained and unprepared child into danger's way." Ozpin noted instantly the change in her demeanor. Rather than the fiery anger of a few minutes previous, Glynda was now still as carved ice, and her frigid tones immediately narrowed the headmaster's eyes. Slowly, he lowered his coffee back down to the desk, careful not to place it upon one of the cracks, before folding his hands and leaning upon the piece of furniture, meeting the chips of green eyes which were her eyes steadfastly.

"Mr. Arc survived the initiation," The words were quiet, but beneath them lay a core of steel, as Ozpin donned the persona he very rarely showed to anyone. It was no longer the face of a Headmaster of Beacon he wore now, but that of the single greatest Huntsman to ever stand beneath Vale's banner. It was the voice of a commander he spoke with, one which had given orders that shaped the face of the kingdoms. And it was the eyes of a soldier with which he looked upon his subordinate, one whose hands were bathed with the blood of thousands-both Grimm and human- and whose heart had been tempered in the fires of war for the great majority of his life. He was no longer Ozpin, but the Emerald Wizard, whose name was feared and revered even in the heartlands of Grimm. "And it was his actions which saved team JNPR against the Deathstalker. It is true, the boy is unskilled. More than that, he is here riding on the fumes of dreams and desire, with little idea of what he is to face. But I assure you, Glynda, that there is more at work here than you know. And that boy, who right now may seem nothing more than a clueless fool too far in over his head, will quite likely be one of the greatest legends to walk on Remnant's soil."

For a long moment, there was utter silence except for the ever-present tick-tock of the clocktower. Even The creature under his desk, normally not one to sit still, seemed frozen by his words. Then, just as Ozpin feared he had perhaps spoken too heavily, Glynda's lips cracked open. "This is another one of your fairy tales, isn't it?" There was a tremor to her voice that had not been present before, and Ozpin had to force himself not to wince. He had not meant to scare her.

"Of a sort." He answered, internally cursing himself. She was close, but not quite. It was enough, however, and the blonde woman nodded shortly, standing.

"Very well then. I… have things to attend to." She turned and stalked away, though Ozpin noticed a slight shake to her step, albeit one most experienced Huntsmen would miss. Dammit, he had forgotten the effect he once had on people. There was more than one reason he had abandoned any semblance of military responsibility at the end of the last war for a peaceful life of teaching.

It was only after the door to his office swung shut that Ozpin realized he had forgotten to ask Glynda to fix the desk.

XXX

 **Alright, here we are! I know, I know, it's been far too long since I last updated this, but I was sort of suffering a large case of writer's block, and it only just seems to have broken. For now, however, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter of HLHD!**

 **SO, a few random comments real quick. One, this will be the first story of mine to ever break the 100-review barrier! Make it count, please. And two, for anyone still wondering who Harry will be paired with; get some glasses, because you're blind as a bat. And I wonder what exactly was hiding under the Headmaster's desk?(There was a little clue, but not much. Kudos to anyone who figures it out);P Also, I apologize if Glynda seemed a bit OOC. I tried to write her more how I would imagine McGonagall(and Ozpin like Dumbledore) at the ages they would respectively be. It seemed a fairly close parallel, but if anyone feel I failed, please explain why. Anything to make my writing better.**

 **So, i think that's it. Don't forget to Review(Please, please Review!) And I will see you all later!**


	12. Chapter 8: Professor Black

**Hey there people, guess who's back! Yeah, I know I'm an asshole for taking so long, but I have had serious Writer's Block lately. You can thank a four-day weekend for this, and possibly the next chapter.**

 **But, you haven't come here for me to ramble at you in the Author's note. No, you all have come here for a very,** _ **very**_ **special person. So, without further ado, I give you the one, the only, The manliest of men… Professor Port!**

…

 **What, nobody? Fine, I see how it is. I guess you can just have some Padfoot instead, you bloody inconsiderate bastards.**

XXX

"So… your semblance is healing." it wasn't quite a question, Harry knew, but as he looked across the table at Draco where he was eating his breakfast, the lion-faunus still found himself waiting for an answer. His partner, for his part, merely raised an eyebrow and gulped, swallowing the food he had been chewing. It seemed even sixteen years of living in the wilderness hadn't managed to kill the ex-pureblood's sense of refinement.

"It is. Why, does that surprise you?" Draco's tone, surprisingly, was devoid of the usual derision he held when speaking to Harry, but still the taller boy snorted, drawing the attention of several other students in the cafeteria, but Harry ignored them. The thought did surprise him that a Malfoy, who were well known for their selfishness and willingness to wield the dark arts, would manifest his soul by healing others.

"I just find it surprising that an ex-Death Muncher would have such a gentle semblance." He said, with a fair amount of sarcasm. Still, Harry smiled to let the other boy know he wasn't serious. Surprisingly, it wasn't needed, as Draco simply smirked back with a slight glint to his eyes.

"You should be grateful, Potter. I saved you two weeks in the hospital wing, and we both know how much you enjoy that place." Harry grimaced at the thought. He had spent plenty of time lying uselessly in vaguely medicinal facilities for two lifetimes and then some. Still, he was more than reluctant to show any amount of thanks to his old rival.

"Malfoy, the day I'm grateful to a Slytherin is the day I prance around the school in a pink tutu singing love songs to Voldemort." He said, and Draco's smirk widened.

"I'll be sure to remember it." The snake-faunus gave a short nod, before returning to his plate. A few seconds later, however, they were interrupted by the rest of their team arriving at the table. Hermione and Luna, neither being used to traveling light as Harry and Draco had become through their nomadic lifestyles, had stayed behind in to unpack their things while the boys went for food. Now Harry perked up as both of them appeared with trays in their hands. Luna, eyes once again covered by her visor smiled brilliantly at Harry and Draco as she took her seat beside the latter. Hermione, however, only offered him a sharp nod even as she placed herself as far away as possible without falling off the bench.

"Malfoy." She said in a cool voice, and Harry watched as the boy's face went cold.

"Granger." He replied equally tersely, and after a split-second of tension, both students turned to their food. Frowning, Harry looked between them.

"Alright, no. This isn't happening." He said, startling two of the table's three other occupants. Luna, at least, looked like she had expected this reaction, turning her head to look at him easily, but both Draco and Hermione stared at him as if he just declared he was actually a girl.

"What?" It was Hermione who responded, blinking at him in shock, but Harry could see the exact same question written across his partner;s face. He gestured at the table between them in answer, continuing.

"We're a team now, whatever we've been before, and each of us has to know that they can trust the others to have their back, no matter what. Sixteen years is a long time, and whatever happened back then is in the past. So any problems you have, any bad blood, we sort them out here and now, or this team doesn't move from this table." He looked each of his friends-and yes somehow that included Draco-in the eye, or visor for Luna. There was a long moment as each of them stared at him, the tension growing thicker with every second of silence that passed, until, slowly, Hermione turned to Draco. WIth a rough, scraping motion, she pulled up the sleeve of her blouse, laying the smooth, pale skin of her forearm bare.

"My arm is blank." She said in a perfectly level voice, but Harry could hear the edge of anger hiding underneath. Draco too, from the way his eyes darkened, and he bowed his head slightly in deference. "But before we went through the veil, it was scarred, marked by the most vile word our people possessed where it was carved into my very flesh. And you, Draco Malfoy, _watched,_ watched as that _monster_ of a woman tortured me. You watched, and did nothing." With every word, her voice didn't grow louder. Instead, it grew quieter, sharper, until it was little more than a ghost of a sound, but still Harry could see as every one cut deeply into the ex-Death Eater. He bowed his head further, pale blond hair falling to cover his silver eyes, as he spoke.

"You are right. I was a coward. What I did, or didn't do, can never be forgiven, and there are no excuses that could ever ease the pain you suffered." He looked up then, sliver eyes full of sorrow, and met Hermione's own accusing brown. "I have regretted that choice every day since. And though I know it is little comfort, the last sixteen years of my life have been dedicated to the protection of those who can't protect themselves. I do not plan to make the same mistake twice." For a long moment, there was silence as the Huntsmen and Huntress in training stared at each other, brown eyes harsh as they scoured sliver for any sign of a lie. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Hermione sighed, shaking her head.

"You're right, it is little comfort. But…" She paused then, as if measuring her words. "But I can hear the truth in your voice. I suppose I can try to forgive you." She offered a small, slightly broken smile, which widened when Draco did the same.

"All I ask is a chance to earn it." He said with utter seriousness. Then, the faunus turned to Luna, who had been watching from the side-lines silently, with a slight smile. "And you as well, I left you in that dungeon for so long…" He was stopped as Luna suddenly placed a long, pale finger on his lips, silencing the words.

"You were terrified, both for yourself and your family. Even if you hadn't been, helping me escape would have done little besides get you killed." Her voice was gentle as she said it, and Harry watched as the anger at being hushed faded from Draco's face, only to be replaced by a steely determination.

"That doesn't make it right." he said insistently, but again Luna cut him off as she let out a light laugh.

"No, it doesn't. But we are not measured on a scale of right and wrong, only that which is in our hearts." She smiled again, more fully this time, and placed her palm against the boy's chest. "You have a lot of guilt in yours, Draco, and evil men don't regret their actions." Again, there was a long silence as the entire group stared in awe at the girl, before she finally withdrew her hand and Draco snapped out of it. Determination once again etched into his features, he turned to Harry, but the other boy spoke up before he could.

"Hey, don't look at me. I put you in the Hospital Wing and your mother saved my life. Not much to forgive there." Draco, surprisingly didn't deny this, instead smirking ruefully.

"Maybe you should be apologizing to me, then."He said with dark humor, and Harry's face froze, before he pointed his fork at the other faunus.

"Pink fucking tutu Draco. You'll know it when you see it." This time, the silence was short before it shattered as both both burst out laughing raucously. Luna and Hermione, not understanding the comment, could only look on in confusion as they slumped against the table, pounding it in their mirth. The entire cafeteria joined them, staring at the two boys as they continued laughing.

It was several minutes before Draco and Harry regained their senses long enough to eat, and even more before they finished, as all of HLHD descended into a surprisingly amiable silence. Harry's plan had worked, it seemed. It was only in the halls outside, calmly making their way to the first class of the day, that sanity once again lost its grip and HLHD was forced to throw themselves against the walls as all of teams RWBY and JNPR came stampeding past. Draco, Hermione, and Luna stared in the wake of the eight students who had fought with them during initiation, but soon enough turned to their leader as they realized he showed no surprise at the sight, instead wearing a wide grin.

"Harry…" Luna asked, an oddly dangerous voice to her voice. "What did you do?" Harry shrugged his massive shoulders, not concerned in the slightest.

"Just a little prank. I am a marauder's child, after all." Even as he said it, Harry felt a slight chill from go down his back, and deciding prudence was the better part of valor, sidestepped to put Hermione between himself and the blonde girl, who was looking at him with an odd mixture of amusement and anger on her face. He was still unused to this new, slightly more sane Luna, and had no idea what he might have done to anger her, except the whole Ruby thing which, while totally not being what it looked like, probably wouldn't be well-received by someone who thought of the red-head as a little sister. Then he had pranked both her sisters…. _Oh._

"Yeah, but what did you actually _do_?" Draco asked, noticing the growing tension between Luna and Harry. He had noticed, too, the way Ruby Rose clung to younger leader clung to his, and vaguely picked up on the relationship between Luna and the other girl. Much as it might be hilarious, however, he couldn't let the blonde castrate the other boy before class even started. It would look bad for their team cohesion at the very least.

"Switched team RWBY's clocks back half an hour or so to make them think they're about to be late for class." He answered with a shrug, and was glad to see Luna's anger diminish slightly. As protective as she was of her sisters, the worst his actions could have done was cause a mild panic. He didn't even switch it so that they _would_ be late, just think it. Honestly, it was harmless.

"So why are Team JNPR panicking too?" Hermione piped up, frowning, and Harry shrugged again.

"All three of our team dorms are like, right beside each other. I'd bet they saw RWBY panicking and followed suit without checking their own clocks." None of the other three could say anything to that, so they nodded, and continued on their way.

XXX

Ruby fought for breath as she ran into the classroom, desperation and adrenaline the only thing keeping her legs moving. This, however, turned out to be a bad thing as she skidded to a stop, sudden surprise bringing her up short. The sudden halt quickly became disastrous as Weiss, then the rest of her team, and then all of JNPR came following closely behind, and subsequently crashed into her back. All eight of the students-and it was strange she noted, that there were only eight, and not twelve. Shouldn't Team HLHD be with them as well?- collapsed to the floor in a great heap of tangled limbs and body parts. Her only consolation, despite being the cause for the entire situation in the first place, was that they were in a near-empty classroom, and their only witness wouldn't be talking to anyone.

For several minutes, both teams struggled to extricate themselves, to no avail. Only When a quiet chuckle, instantly familiar after the last two days, sounded, did the entire group freeze. "My, it looks like you're all in quite the predicament." In an instant, Ruby's cheeks caught fire. Oh dear chocolate chips, that was the last voice she wanted to hear right now.

"Oh, hush Harry. This is all your fault and you know it." Ruby perked up slightly at the sound of Luna berating her newest friend, though she couldn't see the girl with Pyrrha's skirt wrapped around her face as it was. She wriggled slightly, trying to catch her sister's attention. At least Luna wouldn't laugh too much, and if Harry did, she would hit him.

Sadly for Ruby, it wasn't Luna who saw her. A moment later, she felt strong arms wrap under her armpits, before lifting the redhead with a gentle strength that was utterly unmistakable. Once again Ruby felt her face ignite as Harry pulled her from the pile and into what amounted to a bear hug.

"There you go, little one." The lion-faunus breathed into her hair, sending a strange warmth down Ruby's spine, before setting her down. She watched, frozen, as he let go, before moving onto the next person in the pile. He wasn't the only one, and in just a minute or two, team HLHD had sorted out the mess of eight teens and were standing before them with amused grins on their faces.

"Not one word." Yang, perhaps the only member of either RWBY or JNPR not speechless with embarrassment-excepting Nora, but Ruby got the feeling the ginger didn't even know what that emotion _was_ -glared directly at Harry. RWBY shivered slightly as she saw the red eyes of her sister. Wisely, Harry shrugged.

"I have no idea what you mean. The classroom was empty when we got here." There was a collective sigh of relief, and Ruby felt herself starting to smile. She knew there was a reason she liked the guy so much. He always knew just what to say.

Before long, the twelve students had taken their seats, free to pick across the empty classroom. This was, of course, what had caused the young Huntress to freeze when she first entered the classroom, and even now she looked around curiously. They had been five minutes away from being late, hadn't they? She was sure of it, but Harry's team seemed utterly nonchalant as they settled in, so she doubted they were in the wrong class.

"Uh, Harry?" She asked, leaning over to whisper to the boy. Ruby had, though she wasn't quite sure why, taken the seat immediately to his right. On his other side stretched out the rest of team HLHD, while JNPR and her own had scattered across the semicircular stands.

"Yes Ruby?" Harry asked, turning eyes that still shone with mirth to her.

"Where is everyone?" Ruby didn't think her question was uncalled for. Did the whole school wake up late or something? It was the first day… whatever the case, however, she still felt blood rush to her face as Harry let out a short bark of laughter.

"We're almost ten minutes early, Ruby. Most of the other students are probably eating breakfast still." Ruby blinked at the words, then blinked again. Wait, what?

"But we only had five minutes when we left!" She exclaimed, and all ten of the other students perked up from where they sitting. Harry's team, whose names she only vaguely remembered excepting Luna, looked at her with amusement, while both JNPR and her own team watched the conversation with sudden interest. It was understandable, really. There was no way she had been wrong. A sliver of doubt crawled into her mind, however, when Harry winced.

"That's actually sort of my fault." he muttered the words, but Ruby still heard them, and felt her brow furrow.

"What do you mean, Harry? What's your fault?" The boy smiled ruefully, running a hand between his leonine ears and ruffling the sinfully dark hair around them.

"I may have changed your clocks for a little prank." it took a second for Ruby to comprehend what exactly the faunus was saying, until suddenly anger was shaking her small frame, and heat once again rushed to her cheeks entirely different reason.

"You- you- you jerk!" She yelled, punching him in the shoulder as hard as she could. The blow bounced off Harry's aura, and Ruby felt her rage flare even higher. Her next blow, however, was caught in a large, warm hand, engulfing hers completely.

"Er, Ruby? It was just a joke." Ruby froze, looking at the boy in shock. Did she just punch Harry? Why had she done that? Ruby didn't usually get angry like that.

"OhmyOum I'm so sorry!" She cried, throwing her hands out to flail uselessly in the air. Ruby didn't exactly know what she was doing, and judging by Harry's amused smile, he didn't either, but as embarrassed as she was, she didn't exactly care. The sounds of snickering coming from around them didn't help either.

"It's cool, Ruby. I probably deserved that." Harry said, waving off her apology. Ruby, surprised that he wasn't angry and having no clue what was happening anymore, dropped her hands into her lap, looking at them morosely as she took a deep breath to calm herself. She was so grateful that the rest of the students and the teacher hadn't made it to the classroom yet. She didn't know why she had gotten so angry. Normally, Ruby enjoyed pranks-how could she not, with her family?- even ones that targeted her. But when she thought of Harry, pointing and laughing as she embarrassed herself so utterly… It hurt. It hurt a lot. Was that because he was her first friend? Luna and Yang didn't count, and what few people she did hang out with at Signal had mostly just been social outcasts like her. They didn't really have much else in common. But Harry… Harry was different. He had seemed so genuinely kind and warm, and he didn't even seem to mind that she was so terrible at people skills. Harry was her first real friend.

"Ruby? you alright?" The huntress-in-training jumped as a hand was waved in front of her face, pulling Ruby out of her thoughts. Harry looked down at her with concern etched into his features, and for what felt like the tenth time that day found herself blushing.

"Sorry Harry, I kinda zoned out there. Were you asking me something?" Harry, thankfully, didn't seem to hold her inattentiveness against her, but instead smiled softly.

"Just if you wanted some cookies, since you didn't get to go to breakfast." At the word 'cookies', Ruby's eyes widened and she stared at Harry.

"Really?" She asked, trying to keep from sounding too excited. Even now, she could feel her stomach growling. If Harry had cookies, and was offering them to her… she might have to declare him her new god.

"Sure." The young Huntsman said, shrugging as he offered dug into his pocket before offering it contents to her. Ruby's eyes instantly narrowed on the small circles of delicious, sugary goodness that rested within, and in a red blur the beautiful bounty was clutched tightly in her hands as she bit deeply into the first one. A small, blissful moan escaped her, before she jerked and snapped a hand over her mouth. It was too late, however, as Harry was giving her a highly amused grin that told her he knew exactly what had happened. Thankfully, none of the other students, who had started trickling in while she wasn't paying attention, noticed.

"I'll take that as a thank you." Harry leaned over and whispered, his eyes dancing with mirth. Ruby didn't answer, looking down as she flushed brightly and hid the cookies in her hood. Suddenly, she didn't feel like eating them right then.

"Where do you think the teacher is?" Ruby looked up as she heard one of Harry's teammates, the brown-haired girl, speak up. Her name was... Herma-something, Ruby thought. Something really long, and hard to remember.

"I don't know, Hermione. But..." Harry said, his vibrant green eyes finally turning away from Ruby to scan the classroom. Ruby, curious both about Harry's teammate and what the boy himself had to say, watched as his gaze paused on the small desk at the front of the room. Obviously, there was no teacher sitting behind it, despite the beginning of class ticking ever closer every minute, but strangely, there was a big, shaggy black dog lying beside it drowsily. Or at least, it looked tired, but Ruby liked to think she was an expert on dogs after spending so many years with Zwei. the dogs eyes were in fact watching the classroom sharply, tracking each and every student to enter before returning to a central point; one which, if Ruby didn't know any better, she would swear was right at Harry. The boy in question cocked his head as he noticed it, dark brows furrowing. "That dog looks familiar. Why does it look familiar?" The last part was muttered to himself, but Ruby, being right beside him, still heard. Before she could say anything, however, a sharp, buzzing sound echoed through the room, making every student jump.

There was a long moment, after the bell rang, where every single student looked around frantically. Was the teacher late to his own class? Ruby didn't think that was very professional. But she didn't have much time to wonder. Every eye was drawn to the front of the room as the dog, shaking off its feigned lethargy, stood with a quiet snort. Ruby watched as the canine swept a wary gaze over the class, before standing and crossing behind the desk; and then Ruby gasped. Because, instead of a dog, what emerged on the other side was a man, young and devastatingly handsome as he stood and stretched.

He couldn't be much older than the students themselves, twenty at the most. That would put him at just out of Beacon, if he was lucky. Ruby quickly forgot about his age, however, as did the rest of the girls-and probably a few boys- in the class, as they stared at the beautiful man. He was tall, just under six foot, with messy dark hair that fell in the most seductively charming way possible, and dark grey eyes glittering with a roguish light. This man lived and breathed the bad-boy aura, like he was born to show young, impressionable women the meaning of sin and seduction. The only person Ruby had ever seen who could compete was Harry, and while they had a similar sort of aura, Harry's personality held a sort of warmth and kindness that wasn't present with this man. At least, not in the same quantities.

"Hello class. Welcome to Auric Studies. I am Professor Sirius Black, and I shall be your instructor for this course." Upon hearing the professor's voice, Ruby's eyes snapped to Harry. It was a smooth, velveteen baritone that would have utterly melted her, except for one thing. His accent, a tilted, high-class thing that made her think of those stories about kings, knights, and noble ladies who always rode off into the sunset, was almost exactly like Harry's. Not quite, of course, the Huntsman-in-training hid it well enough, but it was always there, a cool crisp edge to his words that every once in awhile took over entirely. But… but she had never heard someone talk like that from any of the four kingdoms. And Harry's reaction told her more than enough to answer the question that whoever this was, Harry knew him.

The young lion-faunus was standing ramrod straight, staring at the professor as if he had seen a ghost. His team, as well, were all in various states of shock and attention that were far more pronounced than the situation warranted. Sure, a dog turning into a man was strange, but Ruby knew for a fact that such semblances existed. Her own uncle Qrow had one, even. But Ruby could see shock, awe, hope, and even-was that fear?-on the four students faces. Before she could ask however, all of HLHD snapped out of whatever it was at practically the same time, settling into more normal poses. She could see the emotions still glittering in the four sets of eyes, however, even as the teacher continued.

"Many of you, I imagine, are confused, so before I begin, I shall say this: Yes, I am the dog." There was a moment of silence, before laughter erupted across the classroom. Professor Black leaned back against his desk as it continued, apparently content to wait out the results of his words. When the noise finally died, however, he continued as if he had never stopped. "Now, to begin with, I shall start with what this class is about. What _is_ Auric studies?" Silence reigned for several long seconds before the students finally realised that he was actually asking them a question. Several hands raised amongst the students, and Black grinned as he picked one. "Ms. Schnee! Please."

"Well… Auric studies is the study of our aura." Weiss stated, with only mild confusion. Ruby could practically it in her voice as the professor nodded along.

"Yes, exactly! But we all know aura is the power of our soul. So, why would we _need_ to study it? NIkos." The red-headed, green-eyed girl looked slightly shocked, as her hand hadn't been up, but after a second of centering herself, answered.

"To use it better in battle?" Her tone was more of a question than an answer, but Black seemed pleased as he continued smiling and nodded.

"That is one use, yes. The better you understand a weapon, no matter how mundane or mystical, the better you can use it. There is, however, another subject of the aura, beyond what you would normally associate with it, which we will be focusing heavily on in this class. This, students, is known-for lack of a better term-as magic." For a long moment, the entire room was silent as they processed his words. Then, just as Ruby began to wonder if perhaps the professor might be insane, there came a loud burst of laughter from one of the back rows.

"Magic? I thought this was supposed to be a school, not a circus!" The boy, a tall, broad-shouldered guy with wavy brown hair and a face that could objectively be considered handsome, smiled down at the professor, malicious glee shining in his eyes. Black, to his credit, didn't seem offended, simply regarding his student cooly as a hint of a smile tugged at his lips.

"That, mister Winchester, is a very astute comment." Even Ruby, bad as she was at social cues, winced from the sheer cutting sarcasm in those words. "However, I was not speaking of the magic you might see performed onstage; those such as card tricks and the like, though with certain applications of semblances, even they could become a threat. I was instead referring simply to a particular phenomenon that occurs with certain people's auras, which as of yet has no better name. In fact, we have the perfect candidate for a demonstration right here in this class." The student, Winchester, sneered at being passed over so easily, but Black ignored him, instead turning, to Ruby's surprise, to face Harry.

"Mr. Potter." He started, and even then, Ruby could tell there was something different as the professor looked at her friend. Something, an ancient, almost forgotten emotion, glimmered in his eyes as he met Harry's eyes, and it lay under the cultured edge of his words. "I hear you put on quite the show during Initiation. Would you mind giving a repeat performance? Without destroying the classroom, preferably." There were a few smattering laughs across the room, and even Harry himself smirked at the half-joking comment, but Ruby, who had caught the hidden meaning in his words, paled. Professor Black was asking Harry to do what he had done in the Emerald forest against that giant Arachne; but she had thought that was his semblance!

Almost as if to disprove her thoughts, Harry casually held out a hand and summoned one of his arrows to his hand, the energy crackling loudly in the silent room. Near every person in the room had held their breath as they watched, waiting for either the teacher to be proven either crazy or correct. Even as the lion-faunus dispelled the weapon, no one released a sigh. It could still have been his semblance, and it seemed Black knew that as he turned to Harry's partner.

"Mr. Malfoy, would you kindly demonstrate as well?" And again, there was an edge to his words, like he knew both of the students in some other way, but this time it was sharper, more direct. Ruby, inexperienced at reading people as she was, might have said the Professor was angry.

"Gladly, Professor." The blonde's response held a venomously sarcastic tone, and Ruby could have sworn she saw him flinch as if someone had just kicked him under the table. At the same time, both Luna and Hermione smiled in a sickly sweet manner that sent a shiver down Ruby's spine. Regardless, Malfoy summoned a similar arrow to Harry's, though his was much more unstable as energy danced up and down its length like tiny sparks of electricity. Finally, there was a great rush of air as the class breathed in unison. It seemed the professor actually knew what he was talking about.

"Alright, now that that's over with…" Black started, sending the Winchester guy a smile that could generously be called predatory. Ruby winced at the sight, before snapping back to attention. There was something about this teacher, even more so than his looks or his voice, that held the entire class in rapture as he scanned the rows. "Who would like to tell me what we just witnessed? And no smart-asses please, I know how I was at your age." Ruby felt her lips twisting into a small smile at his words. The man had a sense of humor, at least. Despite several other people laughing, however, no one raised their hands, and the professor sighed lustily after several seconds.

"Really? Have none of you learned advanced Auric theory? Malfoy and Potter, you two, at least, should be able to tell me something." Again, there was that underlying emotion as Black addressed the two boys, this time of disappointment. Neither seemed bothered, however, as Malfoy remained silent and Harry shrugged.

"I was born with it, Professor. Just because I know how it works doesn't mean I know how it works, if that makes sense." It didn't to Ruby, but the professor didn't seem as confused, simply sighing again.

"Very well, I suppose we shall have to start from the beginning. Can anyone tell me what defines your semblance? Not just your personality, but how that translates through the aura and into the specific abilities each person has that are unique to them." Again, there were a few seconds of silence, before two hands tentatively went up. Ruby wasn't surprised to see Weiss's as one of them, she got the sense that the girl was very smart, but unexpectedly the other was Hermione from Harry's team. "Ms. Granger, perhaps you can enlighten us?"

"Er.. I think it has something to do with… vibrations?" Like Pyrrha's answer, it was almost as if she were questioning herself even as she said it. Again, Professor Black sighed, though it wasn't nearly as heavy as the rest.

"Close enough, I suppose. The answer, class, is that each of our auras, or soul if you want to be more formal about it, resonate at certain frequencies, almost like radio waves have different channels." He looked out at the students, his disappointment warring with the excitement Ruby had seen in his eyes previously. It was obvious this man enjoyed teaching. The joy he felt was written into every word and action as he lectured the class in a manner Ruby had never seen before. He didn't simply give them answers and information while expecting them to copy it all down and cram the knowledge in their heads without effort. Professor Black, instead, seemed almost to be encouraging his students to think, to find the answer he knew was hidden inside their brains. He didn't seem to think it was working, but already Ruby could see the gears turning in practically every student's mind as they watched him closely. By forcing them to answer, or even consider answering, they were starting to think in a way Ruby knew she never had before during class, and doubted many others had either.

"Now, as you can imagine, each frequency will have different effects, most notably in our semblances. There is, supposedly, a way to define and categorize your semblance through the frequency, essentially telling you what that semblance is, but those kind of things are far above your pay grade, and even mine, most days." Black gave the class a serious look at this, and somehow, Ruby didn't think he was making a joke, this time. Whatever this method was, it must be… well, not dangerous, but certainly something unpleasant. "More important to note is that there are certain… sweet spots, if you will, that resonate with something in the greater universe, allowing the use of magic. We will hopefully cover that and other similar topics later in your education, but for now that should suffice. Two very good examples of these 'sweet spots' are misters Potter and Malfoy." He gestured at the two boys, the dark-haired of which waved cheekily at the class even as his partner simply raised his eyebrows in a bored manner. When attention returned back to him, Professor Black leaned back on his desk, until he was practically sitting on its edge.

"Now, I'm sure you are all eager to begin learning the myriad ways to kill Grimm with magic, or avoid being killed by criminals wielding it, as the case may be, but before we do so there is something that must be done first. Perhaps you can tell me, Mr. Arc?" Jaune, the blonde haired kid Ruby recognized from JNPR jumped at the sound of his name, looking utterly caught off guard at having been called out. He eyed the professor warily before answering in a slow voice.

"Uh, we need to… know if we have magic, I guess? I mean, not everyone can use it, right?" The look on the guy's face was priceless when the Professor nodded, a kind smile on his face.

"That is precisely correct Mr. Arc. Good job." Then, perhaps for the first time since changing from his dog form, the professor took his eyes off the arrayed students, turning to retrieve something from behind his desk. An instant later he straightened and turned back, holding a wicked looking poker with two tines. "Well?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, glancing around the room. "Who should I stick first?" Almost unsurprisingly, Ruby was one of the very few girls whose hand didn't shoot up.

XXX

 **Okay… so that's a thing. You know, I was actually expecting this chapter to include several other scenes, but this was already getting ridiculously long, so I decided to save them for next time.**

 **So, before I let you all go, I really want to apologize for any OOCness that may have occured. For some reason, I had a really hard time pinning down Ruby's character as I wrote this. Sirius, as well, may have seemed a bit different, but that is mainly for the same reasons as Luna, stated in previous AN's. Also, a bit of a fun fact, I based his teaching style after how I myself would teach, given the chance. That may seem a bit iffy, but I can also imagine Sirius doing something very similar, so sue me. (Actually, don't, I'm poor enough as it is)**

 **BEFORE ANYONE GOES CALLING PERVERT!**

 **Sirius, in this story, is twenty. Maybe twenty one, at a stretch. This is primarily because by my rough timeline, he was thrown into the veil about four years before Harry and crew, who are sixteen, the canon age for beginning Beacon. (I keep seeing people write it as seventeen, and have no idea why. I'm pretty sure they say it at least twice in the show.) As such, he is not a fourty year old man, so it is not immoral for schoolgirls to lust after him, or the other way around.(Though that isn't quite what he does. At least, not blatantly.) Ruby, yes, is kinda creepy, but as stated in previous chapters, she is still a teenage girl with teenage hormones, and twenty doesn't look that different from sixteen or seventeen. Plus, she only had the initial shock of seeing what is essentially a very pretty boy.(Once again, I reiterate that I am a perfectly straight male) If you noticed, she barely thought about his looks after that. HOWEVER! Sirius** _ **will**_ **be paired with someone in this fic. I won't tell you who, but suffice to say I went to great trouble ensuring that he wouldn't be too old, hence the whole young!Sirius. I mean, there is the whole teacher/student thing, but I'm fairly certain both can keep that separate from their love life, not to mention I personally don't believe in such prohibitions except to prevent cheating and similar things, and by the time it happens they might be past the battle of Beacon. Also, Sirius isn't a faunus, though I was sort of planning him to be.**

 **Now, I should probably let you all go, so don't forget to Review, and have a wonderful Halloween!(If I don't get the next one up soon, at least)**


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